In his second year of growing maize in tandem with beans, Jonathan Evans of Berry Hill Farm in Pembrokeshire has learned some valuable lessons, particularly in terms of crop establishment, variety selection and the importance of weed control.
Seen firstly as a good alternative break crop to oilseed rape – which has become harder to establish due to the difficulties in controlling flea beetle – maize is now a valuable forage for their beef finishing enterprise as well as an additional cash crop sold to neighbouring dairy and goat farms.
The importance of upholding soil health and sustaining its productivity for the future is essential. No matter what the enterprise, we are reliant on soil for all production, either to produce our crops or forage to feed livestock. Therefore, measures must be taken to conserve soil, which is more vulnerable to erosion and the leaching of essential nutrients over the winter months, especially after the harvest of maize crops.
Autumn 2023 was a difficult one for many, with the only real drilling window way back in September we have seen a deluge of rain since which seems to have no end in sight, with forecasts predicting wet weather into the new year. This has meant only a handful of opportunities to get on the land to cultivate and then sow autumn crops.
As we start to look to what 2024 will bring, it’s a natural instinct to turn to spring cereals for any land that didn’t get planted in the autumn - deliberately or otherwise! However, with shortages of spring cereals it’s now more important than ever to remember that autumn cereals can be sown successfully into the new year. So, here are my top tips for late sowing winter wheat!
Low grass silage stocks have been a significant subject of conversation this summer, stemming from the adverse impact of a dry June on grass growth.
Although we had rain towards the end of June, it was patchy. Where rain did fall, it often came in short, heavy bursts. If the ground was baked hard, this made it prone to run off. What we needed was prolonged rainfall to wet the ground so it could soak in.
Gema and Prospect are two of the best-performing maize varieties on the BSPB/NIAB Recommended List and are excellent choices for farmers wanting to maximise milk production from maize and achieve a good return on their crop’s investment.
YieldON is an innovative new biostimulant from Valagro UK Ltd and has been developed using cutting edge genomics technology. Three years of trials in the UK have shown some impressive yield responses from a single application of YieldOn at flag leaf in cereals and mid-flowering in oilseed rape. The company have also recently started trials with forage maize.
With weather patterns becoming increasingly unsettled and guaranteed April showers a thing of the past, abiotic stress is a growing problem for successful maize establishment. When applied early in the growth of plants it increases production of phosphatase and reductase enzymes which in turn leads to increased availability of nutrients and increased root and shoot development.
There is enough energy in a hectare of fresh forage maize to support about 30,000 - litres of milk production in dairy cows, once animal maintenance needs are met. With high cereal prices having a direct impact on bought-in feed prices, it is therefore well worth protecting the energy potential in this starch-rich forage.
Inclusion of maize in the dairy ration has long been favoured by many dairy farmers and with the current costs of other crops and inputs, 2022 represents an even better opportunity for maize.
