Watch video below to see how to enter our competition!
PRIZE worth over £1500!

Grassland & Muck, the triennial event organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England, returns to Stoneleigh, Warwickshire on 24-25 May 2017.

Promising a bumper display of machinery, live demonstrations and grass plots, along with timely advice and technical forums, the two-day 190 acre event has something for every grassland farmer.

For more information on the show, please visit http://www.grasslandevent.co.uk/

The LG stand will be demonstrating how grass mixture selection impacts forage quality and animal performance.

Visit us at stand no. 121 for advice on how to get from soil and seed to better quality feed. Find out several different new ways to make your livestock enterprise more profitable.

Will you be participating in the knowledge trail? If so BASIS and DairyPro points are available on our stand.

There will be a showcase of Limagrain own grass ley brands:

CLICK on the brand logo to visit the product page.

To Enter the Competition…

Bring along a sample of your grass for us to analyse with the LG Lab for a chance to win 10 acres of LG Animal Nutrition grass seed and more!

1.  Enter by bringing along a sample of your grass for us to analyse with the LG Lab, you’ll get your analysis result within minutes!

2. The sample with the highest Metabolisable Energy (ME) reading wins.

3. PRIZE: Expert soil advice, 10 acres of LGAN grass seed AND reseeding by OPICO! 

For full details on the prize and terms and conditions, CLICK HERE (worth over £1500!)

This includes the latest trial data that compares the performance of the main varieties of forage crops like fodder beet, stubble turnips, swedes, forage rape, kale and lucerne.

“We don’t have any national recommended lists for forage crop varieties, so our trial data comparisons on the main varieties grown in the UK help farmers make informed decisions,” says Limagrain marketing manager Martin Titley. “It gives them free access to agronomic and feed values such as, dry matter yields, digestibility and disease tolerance.”

The Essential Guide to Forage Crops also provides comprehensive growing costs, average yield and feed value for each crop along with suggestions on how to introduce forage crops into your rotation.

Highlights include the new varieties of fodder beet, Brick and Tarine, with dry matter yields that out-perform the control by 17% and 8% respectively, along with data on fast-growing catch crops such as Samson stubble turnips and Interval rape kale hybrid. These catch crops are becoming more popular as they can provide cost-effective autumn and winter feed.

The new publication also highlights crops that can help boost home grown protein with an in-depth look at lucerne and forage peas.

“With the emphasis on increasing home grown feeds in livestock systems, there is real benefit in selecting the most suitable crops and, within each, higher yielding and high feed value varieties,” adds Mr Titley. “The growing costs are the same, so additional yields and feed values are the icing on the cake.”

If you would like a hard copy, please email enquiries@limagrain.co.uk 

Leading plant breeders Limagrain UK are a major player in all of these markets and for the first time at Cereals Arable Event 2017, Limagrain has combined both arable and forage crops to form an integrated stand, which includes crop plots on all of its leading arable varieties as well as crops for greening, EFA areas, nematode control and soil biofumigation.

Members of the Limagrain technical and breeding teams will be on hand for the two days of the event, to discuss how varieties for particular on-farm situations have the correct genetics behind them to protect yield and quality – be that to optimise OSR yields, grow a premium malting barley to spec, or look at the latest options for the new countryside stewardship scheme, featuring wild bird and pollinator habitat mixtures.

A unique ‘Genetics Hub’ will demonstrate how genetic characteristics introduced by breeders into various crops, provides security for on-farm performance, and where appropriate, final marketing opportunities.

The Limagrain OSR breeding programme has produced varieties with resistances to TuYV, clubroot and pod shatter. On display will be varieties such as Annalise; a high yielding daughter of Amalie that offers TuYV resistance with a very high oil content of 46.9%, Architect which is the first TuYV resistant hybrid that also offers traits such as pod shatter resistance, winter hardiness and excellent vigour, and Archimedes that offers the clubroot resistant trait, as well as RLM7 phoma and pod shatter resistance.

For wheat, genetic traits such as OWBM and eyespot used in combination with good disease resistance, play a similar role in protecting final yield potential. This can be seen in varieties such as LG Sundance which offers OWBM resistance together with the best septoria resistance available on AHDB RL (7.3), and Revelation which with its high eyespot resistance rating of 8@ allows for it to be grown in the second wheat or early drilling situation very successfully.

In malting barley, quality traits such as non-GN offer a crucial flexibility in marketing, and Limagrain was the first breeder to introduce this genetic trait into its varieties. Since then varieties such as Concerto, through to newcomer LG Opera, all contain this flexible marketing genetic trait and will be on display at Cereals.

This picture, which was taken by Marc Lanham – Nickerson seed specialist, on the 14^th July, clearly shows the differences between treated and untreated varieties and how resistance ratings have been tested this season. LG Sundance stands out visually with its healthy, green leaf across both the treated and untreated sections of the trial.

The trials, which are located at the farm of I.M Hodgson, Hall Farm, Halsham in East Yorks, were drilled on the 29^th Sept, at a seed rate of 240 seeds/m². On one side of the track a 4m untreated strip was left running horizontally to the tramlines. The treated plots received a full fungicide programme.

“It’s clear to see how LG Sundance stands out from all of the other varieties in terms of its green leaf retention in both the treated and untreated trials; this illustrates how robust its disease resistance ratings are, having held up in what has been a very challenging season disease-wise, for many varieties,” says Ron Granger, arable technical manager with Limagrain.

LG Sundance has an excellent disease resistance profile, with a very good ‘7’ rating for the yield robbing disease Septoria tritici, a rating of ‘8’ for yellow rust, ‘6’ for brown rust and ‘7’ for mildew. The variety is also resistant to OWBM, adding security for on farm production in today’s volatile conditions.

“What’s very exciting about this variety is that when you compare the treated and untreated yields in the candidate data on the AHDB RL, it’s possible to see clearly how the disease resistance ratings are supporting the yield; LG Sundance offers a high treated yield of 105% of control, which is up at levels of the hard feed wheats, however its untreated yield is 91%, so only a 14% difference which is remarkable.”

“When compared to the slightly lower yielding control variety JB Diego at 102%, the difference between treated and untreated is 18% and for KWS Santiago this difference is 30%!”

“It is going to be very interesting to see how untreated yields of both the RL varieties and Candidates perform this harvest, as varieties have had to withstand very challenging disease pressure; this will certainly have an effect on the difference between treated and untreated yield potential.”

With marketing potential for both export and distilling, Limagrain data suggests that LG Sundance is a higher tillering variety with a slower prostrate growth habit in the spring -attributes considered of importance for the earlier drilling slot; an area in which the variety is currently undergoing evaluation. Limited data also suggests the variety is suitable for the second wheat slot.

LG Sundance is a Candidate variety up for recommendation to the AHDB Recommended List this coming autumn.

“It’s business as usual,” says Les Daubney, Limagrain marketing director for arable seeds. “Whilst Limagrain has its roots in the Auvergne plains in central France, its seeds activity is worldwide.”

Limagrain is the fourth largest plant breeder and seeds marketing company in the world, and although the main part of the business is within Europe with 52% of total sales and 60% of the Limagrain workforce, 33% of sales and 20% of the workforce are in the America’s, 10% of sales and 7.5% of the workforce are in Africa and the middle east, and 5% of sales and 12.5% of the workforce are based in Asia, he says.

“This shows the global approach and focus for the company; of which the UK business is a key part of, and this strategy will continue despite the uncertainties of a UK outside of the EU.”

Limagrain has a dedicated UK breeding programme which consists of several key plant breeding centres based throughout the country, focused across a range of crop types, such as wheat breeding at Woolpit in Suffolk, barley and OSR breeding at the head offices in Rothwell, Lincolnshire and roots and pulse breeding at Docking in Norfolk.

The breeding programme for each crop type is led by a senior plant breeder, who is backed up and supported by a local team including technical expertise, pathologists, breeding assistants and industry liaisons etc.

Mr Daubney is keen to emphasise that the work of the breeders is very much part of the global strategic breeding programme of the company, where breeders from across the company share genetic material and processes, when relevant and appropriate to the individual and national requirements of the breeding programmes that they lead.

“Plant breeding has many challenges to overcome in the next ten years, and we have to ensure that we adapt our programmes to meet these so that we continue to provide varieties that meet the needs of both growers and end markets in specific regions,” says Ed Flatman, senior wheat breeder with Limagrain UK.

“Growers continue to expect quality and consistently performing varieties that will make a difference to their profits; this means that the varieties need to meet constantly changing market demands, which means breeding for local conditions but with access to genetic material, data and technology that may come from one of our international centres.”

“Products need to be easy and economical to process as well as to source, and this is only achieved through the production of reliable and consistent varieties that have undergone extensive pre- commercial testing and evaluation between ourselves and key partners, and this requires local knowledge and understanding.”

“Yield stability is key to the success of the programmes at Limagrain, and this means that we are aiming to produce varieties that easy to grow and deliver consistently year on year this is nothing new for us.”

Candidates for 2016/2017 AHDB Recommended List

It is this very process that is bringing forward several new and exciting wheat candidates for recommendation this coming autumn.

LG Sundance and LG Motown are very high yielding soft feed winter wheats, with initial official testing suggesting that the varieties meet the specifications for both the distilling and soft uks export markets.

“We are particularly excited about LG Motown, which has consistently yielded 104.3 over control, and above JB Diego, and offers similar attributes to the popular variety Revelation, with some significant advantages. It’s earlier to mature than Revelation and JB Diego; an important attribute of consideration for growers of winter wheat in the northern regions of the UK,” says Ron Granger, arable technical manager for Limagrain.

He adds that LG Motown has good resistance to the rusts; septoria and eyespot, as well as offering OWBM resistance.

LG Sundance has an excellent disease resistance profile, with a very good ‘7’ rating for septoria tritici. Limagrain data suggests it is a higher tillering variety with a slower prostrate growth habit in the spring – attributes considered of importance for the earlier drilling slot.

Stratosphere is a very high yielding soft feed winter wheat, bred by Danish breeders, Sejet.

Stratosphere has a good disease resistance profile and carries resistance for OWBM, and trials to date suggests it also performs well as a second wheat.

LG Cassidy is a very high yielding winter wheat, with initial official testing suggesting that the variety meets the specifications for the nabim Group 2 sector. LG Cassidy is a shorter strawed variety with good lodging resistance, a durable disease resistance and good physical grain characteristics.

“LG Cassidy is similar to Einstein with respect to its lower tillering, erect habit and rapid spring development.”

“Limited data suggests a low vernalisation requirement, similar to Panorama, which gives the additional benefit for later sowing after roots or where blackgrass is an issue. It has also shown good second wheat performance.”

LG Bletchley is a Group 3 variety that offers potential for all the soft wheat markets; export, distilling and biscuit wheat. LG Bletchley is an early maturing variety with stiff straw, good disease resistance and OWBM combined with good grain quality, which makes it an interesting option for the North.

“It’s a medium tillering variety with an erect habit and more rapid spring development, and it is under evaluation for its suitability across the whole sowing range, early to late.”

Nevertheless, growers without blackgrass problems still have the opportunity to , and can continue to benefit from, drilling crops early, says Ron Granger, technical arable manager for seed breeders Limagrain UK.

“Although growers in the main have moved away from the extreme early drilling scenario of early to mid-August practiced by many a decade ago, earlier drilling which is now considered to be before mid-September does have benefits – notably in taking advantage of mild autumn weather to establish crops before the weather closes in for the winter. “

Early drilling however does have significant risks recognises Mr Granger, and is a major test for both grower and variety both in terms of crop management and variety suitability.

“Early sown crops will be taller and hence carry a higher risk of lodging, and disease susceptibility will certainly be higher. It is thought that a variety’s ratings for both lodging and disease susceptibility can be reduced be one point on the AHDB Recommended List.”
Most commercial varieties currently available are products of breeding programmes and varietal testing that is targeted at traditional sowing dates in October. Although the AHDB does produce data on earlier sowing dates, this is quite limited, he points out.

“At Limagrain we  evaluate lines in more depth to ensure they meet the specifications required for early drilling and this is done through additional plot and field trials both internally and externally with partners, to ensure a variety is fit for purpose. “

“Of course this work is carried out over several seasons as it is not in the interest of a breeder to push a variety into such a high risk situation without it being fully evaluated.”

In order for a variety to be deemed suitable for the earlier drilling slot, it should ideally have a number of key agronomic characteristics, highlights Mr Granger.

Good straw strength
Early sowing does tend to produce plants with a greater biomass, due to increased stem length and extra tillers per plant which in turn increases lodging pressure. Mr Granger advises a good split PGR programme at the key crop development phases of stem elongation.

Prostrate winter habit with high tiller number
A prostrate winter habit is essential to prevent the crop becoming too erect and over proud through the winter which can produce plant loss from winter kill or frost damage to the growing point in the early spring.

High tillering ability is necessary as seeding rates are reduced significantly at sowing time – winter wheat plants are very adaptable and plants sown early with a high tillering capacity will produce many tillers.

Growth habit differences in the spring
Historically varieties for the ‘very early drilling’ scenario required a very slow apical growth in the early spring, but we have learnt that actually varieties that sit with a prostrate habit in the winter, with a faster development in the spring do perform in this situation if the variety has good ear fertility.

 “Interestingly in a blackgrass situation you actually do not want plants with a late prostrate growth habit in the spring as they struggle to compete with the growing blackgrass population – you actually need plant ideotypes that have an earlier plant / ear development so that they grow and compete with the blackgrass.”

Good disease resistance
Good disease resistance should be considered of high importance for the earlier drilling concept – earlier drilling leads to more nitrogen being taken up in the autumn leading to lusher growth and a consequent greater risk of foliar disease.

Root and stem disease, noticeably eyespot, is considerably greater even in a first wheat situation and eyespot resistant varieties and a good seed treatment for control should be considered.

The fungicide programme for earlier drilled wheats will certainly have to be adjusted to take into account both the possibility of greater disease pressure. More importantly timings of application must be considered, as earlier drilled crops will certainly move quicker through the growth stages compared to crops drilled later at the more traditional sowing dates.

Ear fertility
The ear fertility of the variety in the earlier drilled scenario is certainly a significant attribute for full yield potential. This is regarded of high importance and Limagrain test varieties to the extreme to tease out the differences to ensure varieties will perform in this situation. Determining variety differences for ear sterility is not easy and collating of data over regions and seasons is essential in ever changing environments.

High specific weights
Varieties with good specific weights should be considered for the earlier drilling period. High ear numbers from early sowings can reduce specific weights so it’s important to ensure that thick crop canopies are managed by either delayed nitrogen timings or good PGR programmes to establish targeted ear numbers for optimal yield.

Yield performance
Although early drilling does not guarantee additional yield performance it’s important that the variety fits the criteria and does well on farm both in terms of yield and agronomic type.

AHDB RL 2016/17 – EARLY SOWING DATA
 

And Sinclair Mcgill’s grass seed manager Ian Misselbrook says that more UK sheep producers could take advantage of these ‘hidden gems’, which can not only extend the grazing season and improve the supply of minerals and trace elements but also boost live weight gains.

“Both forage herbs are highly palatable and trials have shown that ewes and finishing lambs will selectively graze both plantain and chicory in a mixed pasture – but they’re also rich sources of minerals, such as calcium, sodium, copper and selenium, and they can also extend the grazing season,” he says.

Lamb weight

A recent trial, where ewes with triplet lambs aged between nine and 10 weeks old were grazed on Sinclair McGill’s plantain variety Tonic, compared twin and single lambs on grass and lucerne leys and saw an average lamb weight of 37.5kg, compared with31kg for twins on lucerne and 32kg for twin lambs on grass.

Mr Misselbrook stresses that rearing lambs on home-produced forage does not mean that it has to be low-output, extensive production. “Quite the opposite, in fact,” he says, adding that some of the products outlined in the company’s latest booklet, called ‘Crop solutions for cost efficient lamb production’, have the potential to dramatically reduce the time it takes to finish lambs and increase output, when compared to high supplementary diets.

Variety is the spice of life – even for ewes and lambs. And adding plantain and/or chicory to swards will increase grazing intakes. Sinclair Mcgill’s forage plantain – Tonic – has the potential to support weight gains for between 250g and 350g per day in weaned lambs at high stocking rates. The company also markets in the UK a chicory variety – Grasslands Choice – which it says will also increase ewe-milk production and increase the rate of live-weight gain in finishing lambs.

Easy growing

The forage herbs are also relatively easy to grow. Plantain, which is a ribbed leafy perennial herb, does better when sown in a reseed mixture.

Plantain can be established on a range of soil types, but it will persist for longer if grown on free draining soil. “So avoid fields that are prone to waterlogging,” says Mr Misselbrook, adding that a firm and fine seed bed is required. This must also be as weed free as possible. “Weed control is best carried out before sowing because post-emergence control is limited.”

Plantain is best sown into warm soils, between 10^OC and 12 ^OC where possible, and the seed is small so sowing depth should be no greater than 10mm.

“If you are sowing plantain as a straight stand, a sowing rate of between 8kg and 10kg per hectare is recommended and drilling the seed is best, but broadcasting the seed and then rolling can also be successful.”

Mr Misselbrook adds that plantain can also be incorporated into grass and clover ley mixtures, at a rate of between 2kg and 4kg per hectare depending on the percentage of cover required. Spring sowing is preferred, but the crop can be sown as late as July.

“And fertiliser applications should be similar to those for grass and clover leys, with 70kg of nitrogen per hectare helping to improve establishment.”

As for grazing management, Mr Misselbrook stresses that plantain should not be grazed until the plant has six fully grown leaves and the root system is fully developed. “Once the plant is at this stage it can be rotationally grazed and it has a faster regrowth potential.”

Reliable forages

“Sheep producers who are growing plantain and chicory in the UK say that these species are just as reliable as grass and brassicas,” says Mr Misselbrook. “Indeed producers based in drier regions with light soils – such as East Anglia and the South East – say that adding these forage herbs to their grass mixtures allows them to continue grazing during June, July and August when grass growth has slowed due to lack of rainfall.”

Chicory and plantain have deep, fibrous roots that provide a degree of drought tolerance. This makes them ideal for use on units that sometimes struggle to provide enough grazing for stock come mid-summer.

Grazing is not only about lamb production, but also the healthy maintenance of ewes on productive grass and clover based systems, to ensure that unnecessary additional feeding costs are avoided.

“With the additional health benefits of high mineral intakes, producers could even see a potential reduction in their veterinary expenses if they add these forage herbs to their grazing rotation or sward mixtures,” adds Mr Misselbrook.

‘NEW’ FANTASTIC LAMBTASTIC

 Sinclair McGill will be demonstrating the plantain seed variety Tonic at this year’s Sheep Event along with Grasslands Choice chicory and – importantly – its new seed mixture in the Sinclair McGill range named Lambtastic. This mixture carefully combines forage chicory and plantain with white clover, Matrix Enhanced Ryegrass, Timothy and early perennial ryegrass to give the sward a sprint-start in the spring.

It is an ideal mixture for early lambing flocks, providing an early bite for grazing ewes and lambs and a late bite for finishing lambs.

Pick up a free copy of ‘Crop solutions for cost efficient lamb production’ at the Sinclair Mcgill stand at the Sheep Event, or call 01472 370173.

Although this year’s crop is still well away from harvesting, Richard Camplin from Limagrain UK is advising farmers to start planning ahead, saying correct variety choice will be essential to deliver maximum value from the crop next year.  He says recent experiences have shown selecting early varieties should be given very serious consideration by farmers looking to reduce risk and the cost of the feed in the clamp.

“The 2015 maize season was seriously affected by delayed harvest in many parts of the country, compromising yield, feed quality and the opportunity to manage successor crops,” he comments.  “After a difficult start to the current season maize crops in many parts of the country are catching up and currently looking good.

“Drilling was delayed by the cold spring with crops being planted anywhere between two and four weeks later than anticipated.  Crops in the east in particular struggled to get going.

“However, seed beds were generally warm and since then the mild, wet weather, particularly in the south west, has been ideal for vegetative growth.  Most crops were well established and ready to pull away when the weather warmed up at it did in late July.

“The key time for sunshine and heat units is at and around flowering, so provided we have a decent August there is no reason why crops will not perform well despite the shorter growing season. The issue will be whether we get sufficient heat units for crops to mature and this is particularly true for the late maturing varieties which may struggle.”

Mr Camplin says early maturing varieties require fewer heat units to reach maturity which gives them a particular advantage in short seasons, allowing them to be harvested at the optimum time.  He says waiting for late maturing varieties can present problems at harvest.

He says that in September crops typically accumulate dry matter at around 4% per week but this falls to 2% per week as the weather cools in October, so the later the variety that is grown, the greater the risk of extending harvest date beyond what would be considered reasonable.  At the same time the risk of a drop in feed quality is increased.  He advises farmers to assess their crop’s performance in the lead up to harvest this year and to consider whether any problems could be reduced by selecting an earlier variety for next year.

“Delaying harvest to allow a variety to mature increases the risk of harvesting in less favourable conditions.  This could have implications for resulting silage quality and also for management of stubbles”.

He says recent media coverage has drawn attention to the potential problems of managing maize fields post-harvest, particularly when the harvest is delayed.  He believes it is unlikely there will be any easing of environmental restrictions following the decision to exit the EU, so farmers must take all steps to mitigate the risk.

“With increased environmental pressure it will be essential to take steps to prevent soil run off.  A delayed harvest would increase the soil compaction risks from harvesting equipment travelling on wet soils or make it more challenging to establish a successor wheat crop.  If following maize with a spring crop the land should be chisel ploughed, which may not be ideal in wet conditions following a late harvest.  Clearly selecting the most suitable fields is a fundamental management decision, but variety selection can be equally important.”

He says there is a significant difference in days to harvest between early and late maturing varieties, commenting that on the BSPB/NIAB Descriptive List, early varieties are typically ready to harvest at least 15 days earlier. He suggests this can be the difference between a successful harvest and a struggle to get the crop in the clamp.

“These 15 days can make a huge difference to the quality and feed value of resulting silage provided.  As costs of growing and harvesting maize are largely fixed, crop success has to be measured on the basis of how effectively it is harvested and the quality of feed produced. A problematic harvest is likely to increase cost per tonne of dry matter silage produced, as well as diluting its feed value.”

Mr Camplin argues that feed quality is another area where early maturing varieties with improved digestibility have a significant advantage, suggesting they are better suited to the current requirements of dairy farmers.

“If farmers want to reduce costs of production, they need to produce quality forages.  In terms of maize, this means higher energy derived from starch content and high cell wall digestibility in every kilo of silage that will eventually be fed to the cows.  Most early maturing varieties tend to be slightly lower yielding than the later maturing ones, but have higher starch content improving feed quality. However, only a few early varieties such as Activate and the new variety Reason also have improved fibre digestibility due to improved cell wall digestibility that will result in a higher quality feed better suited to producing milk at a lower cost per litre.”

Mr Camplin believes producing high feed quality maize will be particularly important this year.  He says the initial results for first cut grass silages show feeds with lower digestibility, reduced energy levels and higher fibre levels, reflecting the milk winter and the increased proportion of overwintered grass.  They will be careful balancing to ensure effective rumen function and high intakes.

“Starch will be important to drive rumen function and maize can be an excellent source.  Add to this improved digestibility of fibre and you will be making the highest quality feed possible.  Another advantage of focusing on feed quality is that other potential energy sources such as cereals and molasses are all more expensive as a consequence of the exchange rate turmoil following Brexit.  Good quality maize will help reduce feed costs.

“Variety selection is central to driving economic production of maize, by which I mean the yield of nutrients that find their way from the field to the rumen.  The focus needs to move from thinking in terms of tonnes of dry matter and instead focusing on the yield of nutrients, particularly energy, and minimising the risk of a lower quality crop.

“Cost effective diets require consistent quality forage, rather than potentially higher yields of a lower quality feed.  In practice, this will mean an increased emphasis on early maturing varieties which can deliver better feed value more consistently.  When selecting varieties, the key parameters will be maturity date, starch content and fibre digestibility.  It is the combination of good starch content and high digestibility which drives feed value.

“By increasing the prospects of harvesting at the optimum time even in short seasons, combined with generally high feed values, the use of early maturing varieties should be the foundation of dairy systems based on maize silage.  At the same time they can help reduce any environmental impact and ensure any restrictions can be complied with.”

“Farmers select varieties using a range of criteria but need to be clear about the objectives,” comments Limagrain Maize Manager Tim Richmond. “Once a shortlist has been developed that meet the agronomic demands of the farm site, it is then vital that selected varieties will deliver the highest quality forage to ensure maize supplies the maximum benefit in terms of reducing feed costs and improving margins.

“This means looking at varieties which combine good starch content with high cell wall digestibility (CWD) to maximise the utilisation of the feed value contained in the vegetative parts of the plant.”

In addition to helping increase energy yield from the crop, Mr Richmond says Danish research confirms the importance of selecting varieties with high CWD.

“Each 1% rise in CWD increases total dry matter intake by 0.17kg/day due to superior rumen function. In the research this additional intake resulted in a yield increase of 0.25 litres per cow per day. By selecting varieties with a good balance of starch and CWD, farmers will increase production from forage and reduce purchased feed requirements.”

Limagrain will be showcasing varieties which ranked highly in the 2017 BSPB/NIAB Maize Descriptive Varieties List as well as explaining the financial benefits to producers. Reason is a new variety with very early maturity which scores highly when assessed on energy yield, while Glory, a well-established and popular variety continues to top the list on starch yield.

The company will use a NIRS mobile forage analyser on the stand to demonstrate the difference in feed value between varieties. Visitors to the stand can collect a free copy of the Limagrain Maize Variety Selection Guide, which incorporates the 2017 BSPB/NIAB Descriptive List for Forage Maize.

“Variety selection can have a huge impact on margins. Selecting the optimum variety can mean the difference between a timely harvest of a quality crop and a disappointing harvest.

“Furthermore, there is a significant difference in milk yield per hectare between average and top varieties ranked on energy yield. A high quality variety like Reason will produce sufficient energy to produce an extra 800 litres per hectare compared to the average variety, while its superior CWD will support at extra 0.2 litres/cow/day as a result of increased intakes.

“As they plan for 2017, farmers need to look closely at what varieties will put in the clamp when planning cropping for next year, to ensure the varieties grown deliver the best return on investment.”

Mr Richmond says that a change in focus when selecting varieties could have significant benefits for many farmers.  He points out that as costs of production at around £800/ha are largely fixed, crop success is best measured in terms of how effectively it is harvested and the quality of feed produced.

“Maize on livestock farms is only grown to produce feed, so the quality of feed produced is of paramount importance and has a significant bearing on the economics of the crop.”

Mr Richmond says the most important selection criterion must still be to select varieties suited to the site class, arguing that selecting a variety that may not ripen adequately or may result in a problematic harvest is unwise and can increase the cost per tonne of dry matter produced.

“Early maturing varieties require fewer heat units to reach maturity which gives them a particular advantage in short seasons, allowing them to be harvested at the optimum time.  Waiting for late maturing varieties can present problems at harvest.”

He says that in September crops typically accumulate dry matter at around 4% per week but this falls to 2% per week as the weather cools in October, so the later the variety that is grown, the greater the risk of extending harvest date beyond what would be considered reasonable.  At the same time the risk of a drop in feed quality is increased.

“There is a significant difference in days to harvest between early and late maturing varieties.  On the BSPB/NIAB Descriptive List, early varieties are typically ready to harvest at least 15 days earlier.  This can be the difference between a successful harvest and a struggle to get the crop in the clamp, while the 15 days can make a huge difference to the quality and feed value of silage produced.”

If farmers want to reduce costs of production, Mr Richmond says the focus must be on producing quality forages.  In terms of maize, this means higher energy derived from starch content and high cell wall digestibility (CWD) to maximise the utilisation of the feed value contained in the vegetative parts of the plant.

Most early maturing varieties tend to be slightly lower yielding than the later maturing ones, but have higher starch content improving feed quality. However, only a few early varieties such as Activate and the new variety Reason combine this with improved fibre digestibility that will result in a higher quality feed better suited to producing milk at a lower cost per litre.

In addition to helping increase energy yield from the crop, Mr Richmond says Danish research confirms the importance of selecting varieties with high CWD.

“Each 1% rise in CWD increases total dry matter intake by 0.17kg/day due to superior rumen function. In the trial this additional intake resulted in a yield increase of 0.25 litres per cow per day. By selecting varieties with a good balance of starch and CWD, farmers will increase production from forage and reduce purchased feed requirements.”

Mr Richmond advises farmers to look closely at starch content, CWD and energy yield when refining their initial variety shortlist, saying there is a significant difference in milk yield per hectare between average and top varieties ranked on energy yield.

“A high quality variety like Reason will supply sufficient energy to produce an extra 800 litres per hectare compared to the average variety.  This equates to a concentrate feed saving of 360kg/ha, or £80.  For a farm growing 30ha of maize, selecting Reason over the average variety would save £2400 off the purchased feed bill with no increase in growing costs.  At the same time, its superior CWD will support at extra 0.2 litres/cow/day as a result of increased intakes.

“Variety selection is central to driving economic production of maize, by which I mean the yield of nutrients that find their way from the field to the rumen.  The focus needs to move from thinking in terms of tonnes of dry matter and instead focussing on the yield of nutrients, particularly energy, and minimising the risk of a lower quality crop.

“Cost effective diets require consistent quality forage, rather than potentially higher yields of a lower quality feed.  In practice, this will mean an increased emphasis on early maturing varieties which can deliver better feed value more consistently.  When selecting varieties, the key parameters will be maturity date, starch content and fibre digestibility.  It is the combination of good starch content and high digestibility which drives feed value.

Rodney attended Brunel University gaining a BTech in applied biology, and followed this by completing his PhD at The University College of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1969. Shortly after he joined the Welsh plant breeding station as research officer working on cereal disease research and then in 1973 moved into barley breeding.

Rodney joined Nickerson RPB at Rothwell in 1984 to be responsible for 2-row winter barley breeding under the guidance of Dr Paul Gymer and was later to become senior barley breeder. 

He had many notable achievements over the course of his career, introducing breakthrough varieties like Torrent with Barley Yellow Mosaic Virus (BaYMV) resistance, which has now almost become the norm in all winter barley varieties. The development of varieties like Fighter and Jewel allowed Limagrain to move away from a dependency of winter barley agency varieties from other breeders, and the later entry of Pearl and then Cassata into the winter malting market saw the Limagrain market share in this area rise above 50%.

Rodney and his barley team were pioneers in developing non-glycosidic nitrile (GN) varieties for the distilling industry which is now a prerequisite for that market. This laid the foundations for the huge success that Limagrain has enjoyed in spring barley during the last seven years.

Rodney leaves behind a widow Yvonne and a son Matthew. His funeral takes place at Grimsby Crematorium on Friday 9th September at 12.20 pm.

“To ensure maize delivers the maximum benefit in terms of reducing feed costs and improving margins, it is vital selected varieties deliver the highest quality forage,” comments Maize Manager Tim Richmond.  “This means looking at varieties which combine good starch content with high cell wall digestibility, to maximise the utilisation of the feed value contained in the vegetative parts of the plant.”

Limagrain will be showcasing varieties which ranked highly in the 2017 BSPB/NIAB Maize Descriptive Varieties List as well as explaining the financial benefits to producers.  Reason is a new variety with very early maturity which scores highly when assessed on energy yield, while Glory, a well-established and popular variety continues to top the list on starch yield.

“Variety selection can have a huge impact on margins.  Selecting the optimum variety can mean the difference between a timely harvest of a quality crop and a disappointing harvest.  Furthermore, there is a significant difference in milk yield per hectare between average and top varieties ranked on energy yield, so farmers need to look closely at what varieties to put in the clamp when planning cropping for next year.”

Visitors to the stand can collect a free copy of the Limagrain Maize Variety Selection Guide, that incorporates the 2017 BSPB/NIAB Descriptive List for Forage Maize.