Bright Maize business manager Charlie Dolphin looks at how UK maize crops are faring this year and finds that among a mixed bag some crops have performed exceptionally where good husbandry and favourable conditions have come together.
Forage maize growers who manged to catch a favourable window for drilling – roughly spanning the last ten days of April and the first ten days of May – can expect fresh weight yields of over 50 tonnes per hectare in many instances. Crops that were planted at optimum temperature where the soil had lost excessive moisture levels – the plague of last spring – performed best. It was not uncommon for some to be led by temperature only, meaning excessive moisture frustrated the preparation of good seed-beds and hampered emergence.
Interestingly, over 70% of UK maize crops set to yield best come from varieties that would broadly be considered early: below 190 FAO. It poses the question whether – for the sake of a couple of tonnes per acre – it is worth growing a late variety with the risks of run-off and soil displacement on the roads that comes with a delayed harvest.
UK Maize Crops – More Is Being Grown
The area of UK maize grown for forage has increased in 2024, despite the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) taking land that otherwise would grow maize out of the equation – landlords preferring stewardship instead. This apparent contradiction can be explained by maize replacing much of the winter and spring cereals that did not get planted due to climate and supply pressures.
A happy consequence of this was that the mindset of growing a cash crop was transferred to the maize – resulting in more timely and precise application of inputs and general husbandry. The benefits speak for themselves as these crops have excelled and it is certainly the way things are going.
Over the next three years, we expect a third of the maize seed we sell to be destined for Anaerobic Digestion (AD). The full potential of this market has yet to be realised: but two elements need to be addressed.
The planning process can disincentivise
First, operators must move away from late varieties and do so quickly. AD offers a reliable and sustainable energy source, and could even play a role in keeping the lights on in future years. UK maize credentials for AD are strong but – as we know only too well – harvesting maize on the cusp of winter negates the environmental benefits at a stroke. Indeed, forage trailers depositing muck on the highway is a sure way to provoke hostility from a wider public. And in any case, the additional yield gained from late varieties is marginal over earlier varieties, due to improved breeding.
Secondly, local authorities need to streamline the planning process: it is not uncommon for permissions to take a year or more. This can disincentivise would-be operators, and it is costly.
Korit has done its job
It seems this year that UK maize crops were not subject to the usual degree of bird damage. There is no particular explanation for this, other than perhaps the trend to larger blocks of maize being grown, meaning birds had less of an obvious target. It should be acknowledged, despite initial scepticism, that the seed treatment Korit – the use of which has been extended to 2027 – is an effective deterrent in the first couple of months. The key therefore is growing a variety with good early vigour.
Of the later drilled UK maize, a high proportion is marked by having a shorter stem, yet the cobbs appear to be unaffected. This is not entirely as we would expect, so we will be taking a close look at how these crops yield and analyse.
Slugs
Although most UK maize crops managed in large part to sidestep avian damage, the same cannot be said for slugs. The unusually wet and cold spring saw a surge in slug damage – a problem which many farmers were surprisingly slow to address, possibly explained by a change in the law to treatment methods. Metaldehyde, the previous treatment, would kill the slugs almost instantly so the remains were visible; ferric phosphate – its replacement – kills them after the slug has crawled away, usually out of view. Because the results of the treatment are not evident, there is a tendency not to put down more treatment, meaning you find yourself constantly behind the problem rather than in front of it.
In conclusion, this year’s forage maize looks set to be a mixed bag, but among those who do well there will be some exceptional crops. More maize was grown, mainly as an alternative to cereals which were not planted due to the weather. The interesting question is whether, having grown maize once, they will stick with in future: the answer will depend on whether there is a sufficiently good market for forage maize, and that remains to be seen.