Inside you’ll find; on-farm thoughts from some of our farmer partners around the country as well as a Breeders Perspective Q&A by Senior Barley Breeder, Mark Glew. Also, in this month’s issue, Ron Granger, Arable Technical Manager, discusses how new feed wheat varieties prompt the need for re-evaluation of variety selection.

Martin Titley, Director of forage crops explains how this is a perfect time to sow Conservation mixtures and the Countryside Stewardship options associated with our range of seed mixtures.

GatePost is circulated 3 times a year (Feb, May & August) as an insert within Agronomist and Arable Farmer magazine. The next issue will be on 6th August 2019

To download the full PDF version: Click on the image below 

The access-all-areas tour was conducted by Neil Stubley (head of courts & horticulture) and Grant Cantin (head groundsman), in which the attendees were taken to the exclusive players-only area, the media centre and the legendary centre court. Delegates also got to see first-hand some of the exciting developments which are currently underway.

The club is now in its final year of the Court 1 retractable roof project and is set to be completed in time for 2019 Championships. Other works include a new office building for staff, a complete refurbishment of the player dressing rooms and a brand new members’ brasserie – which will no doubt provide yet another world-class dining establishment.

Commenting on the developments, Grant said: “This is the norm here to be honest because we are always trying to be better and provide a better venue – not just for the players but for the public and everyone who comes here.”

The tour offered a fabulous insight into the meticulous planning that is required to successfully host the greatest tennis championships in the world. Grant revealed that while they face many sleepless nights during the Championships, there is still no let off when the games come to a close.

“In terms of grounds staff, there are eighteen of us here full-time and that includes two full-time mechanics and two irrigation engineers. Every year from March until October we bring in another twelve or thirteen people just to get the numbers for the busy times. The Championships are obviously busy but after that it is actually our busiest time with the renovations. Every grass court is renovated and most of them are stripped off back to soil and then re-grown. All this work needs to be completed before the weather starts turning in October or November, so it is a very busy time for us.”

                Limagrain UK host independent school event at AELTC.

For the renovations, the grounds staff choose to use Limagrain grass seed for the grass courts – as Grant explains:

“We have been using Limagrain seed for quite a long time now and we are very happy with the product. The mixture is very similar to MM50 with two of the three cultivars being the same. The STRI actually do all of the research for us and they, along with Limagrain, recommend which cultivars to use.

“Every year we are confident that the seed is the very best it can be and the results are great,” he said.

After a complimentary lunch, and as the event came to a close, attendees were left reflecting on the revealing tour and James Pope, grounds manager at St Paul’s School, was certainly pleased to be a part of it.

“This place is just unbelievable and I didn’t realise how much of a big scale they are working on every day. The standards that they work to when the courts are closed is incredible; everything is just immaculate all the way through to the pathways, gardens, courts and renovations. Then there is the preparation that goes into the tournaments – I’ve never seen anything like it.

“For me personally, I don’t get to see my fellow colleagues too often so to come to a place like this, which is very different, and to see and talk about something that we haven’t all seen together is huge. We were able to bounce ideas of one another and I was able to exchange ideas with other groundsmen that I look up to and speak to those who have more experience than me. To talk about the products and techniques used here, and to network with other school groundsmen, has been invaluable.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed.

Over the last ten years we have been seeing an increase in yield of 1% per year as new spring barley varieties come to market, which is substantial, and an increment in yields that we are just not getting in other arable crops, says Ron Granger, technical manager.

“New malting varieties now have equal or better yield potential than standard feed varieties, thanks to breeders influence on germplasm.”

“Back in 2009, Concerto set an exciting benchmark for distilling varieties for quality and yield, however new varieties sitting at the top of the 2018 AHDB Recommended List boast yields that are 10%+ higher yielding than Concerto.”

“LG Diablo is currently the highest yielding spring barley variety ever, promising yields of  106% over control nationally, next down LG Tomahawk’s yields are 105% over control – this is way above those of Concerto at 94%.”

LG Diablo

Having just been through one of the most challenging seasons for spring barley yields, recognising how we grow the crop to achieve high yields and meet contractual specifications of the chosen end market is crucial to success, he says.

“Spring drilling for any crop is about patience and making the decision to drill at the right time when conditions allow for good germination and continuous plant growth.” 

“However aiming for the right drilling rate in ideal conditions is always a challenge in the topsy turvey weather of the spring; never has this been more evident than last spring when the conditions never really improved and delayed drilling was inevitable!” 

“Growers that were able to get crops in the ground with good seedbed conditions and moisture had good yields, but unfortunately not all growers had this opportunity and were made to drill later as they could not travel on the land!”

“Where crops were drilled later, seed bed conditions were not ideal, and more importantly soils were losing moisture and resulted in slow germination and crop establishment, which impacted yields as we know. “

So what have we leant from 2018 that we can take through to the next season?

Seed rates

“We continue to invest in trials, both internally and externally, to fully evaluate the agronomic requirements of the spring barley crop and the subtle differences between varieties.” 

“This allows us to give growers the best advice to ensure that both high yield and end-use specifications are met as closely as possible.”

Limagrain do not advise definitive seed rates for spring barley but suggest suitable seeding rates, based on the knowledge of the variety gained through these plot and field trials. 

“For example, in our trials carried out over several years looking at both drilling date and sowing rates across Scotland and the rest of the UK to determine optimum seed rate figures, we found that a starting point of 350 seeds/m2 appears to be the optimum for most varieties in ideal growing conditions.”

“This figure can then be either decreased or increased depending on the conditions and time of drilling.”

“This is because spring barley sown in February or March has the opportunity to tiller but the later the drilling date, seed rates have to be adjusted upwards to account for the lack of tillering ability, to ensure final ear counts are achieved for ensuring final yield potential.”

“This spring the later sowings needed higher iseed rates to ensure final ear numbers were achieved from the final plant count for ensuring final yield potential,” he says. 

Tiller Counts

The  target final tiller number for spring barley in the AHDB Barley Growth Guide is 775/m2 (3 shoots /plant), and looking at both trials and farm plant populations over the last few years, this appears to be underachieved in many situations –  therefore compromising yield, says Mr Granger.

“Work that we have been carrying out in Scotland that involves recording tiller counts shows that the varieties such as Sienna and the candidates LG Diablo and LG Tomahawk  produce higher tiller counts, which correlates into increased yield.” 

“It’s important to recognize that varieties with higher tiller counts also show benefits in situations of stress, i.e. drought, showing that they will compensate where plant numbers are low, whereas low tillering varieties are limited in their capacity to compensate.”

LG Tomahawk

He points out that Limagrain trials have shown that final tiller counts can be pushed over 1000/m2 in very fertile soil conditions, but there does not appear to be any additional yield performance over the 750/m2 final tiller target.

“In fact, it can lead to negative agronomic traits being induced, such as lower specific weights, higher screenings, additional lodging pressure and increased disease pressure.”

 Nitrogen interaction

The conventional approach to the  spring barley fertiliser regime needs to be investigated, to see if additional yield performance can be obtained with higher rates of nitrogen, suggests Mr Granger.

“This is not straight forward as the final grain nitrogen percentage cannot be compromised, especially if growing for the malt distilling market which requires a low grain nitrogen content.”

“However, higher grain nitrogen levels required by the brewing and grain distilling contracts should offer opportunities for driving for additional yield potential with higher rates of nitrogen, while still achieving the specific grain nitrogen percentage.”

In our  trials work, in conjunction with Scottish Agronomy, looking at variety interaction with differing nitrogen rates over a range of Limagrain varieties, we applied 120 kg/ha N in the seed bed, supported by an additional 30 kg applied at tillering, making a total input of 150 kg/ha.

“The result was an additional 0.4 – 0.5 t/ha yield across the varieties.”

Whilst this is significant certainly in a commercial situation, it has to be compared with the actual grain nitrogen percentage figures, he continues.

“The grain nitrogen percentage did not increase significantly, remaining well within the contract specification of below 1.65% grain nitrogen for malt distilling contracts. One could argue that the additional yield had a dilution effect on the final grain nitrogen percentage as anticipated. “

“We should also take into account that some seasons produce lower grain nitrogen accumulation levels, highlighting the importance of continuing trials over several seasons.”

Pushing spring barley yields

• Higher tillering varieties should be considered in a black grass situation.
• A higher nitrogen rate with an additional 30 kg/ha at growth stage 12-20 gave a yield increase across all seed rates. Grain nitrogen percentage was not compromised in this specific trial, ongoing trials evaluation to be continued.
• Additional nitrogen to the lower tillering varieties i.e. Concerto at the lower seed rate (250 seeds/m2) increased both tiller numbers and final yield significantly.
• Higher yielding varieties such as Sienna LG Diablo and LG Tomahawk are able to compensate for low seed rates and plant establishment, because of increased tillering capabilities.

Robert and his father Adrian run A J King & Son run a family farming partnership based in south Norfolk. The 250ha farm is cropped with winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley, oilseed rape and sugar beet.

“The farm is made up of mixed soil types so rotations are varied across the farm. Wheat and barley is mostly grown for feed with a small amount grown for seed for Limagrain. Therefore, yield potential is an important factor when choosing new varieties to grow,” says Robert.

“I’m thrilled to be one of the first to have the opportunity to try LG Skyscraper; as the highest yielding winter wheat Candidate on the current AHDB Recommended List, it certainly ticks the box for yield,” he adds.

The success of this approach is reflected in the new recommendations to the PGRO 2019 Recommended List; large blue pea LG Stallion gains full recommendation, along with spring bean LG Cartouche.

Breeding varieties with a range of ‘common’ traits such as stable higher yields, robust disease resistance, as well as sector ‘specific’ traits like colour in marrowfats or protein content in white peas, offers UK growers the best opportunity to realise the full potential of pulses, says Will Pillinger.

“It’s about making sure that we produce varieties suitable for UK growers by offering the highest yielding varieties with agronomic characteristics that help to mitigate many of the challenges of the growing season,” he says.

Under Mr Pillinger’s lead, Limagrain’s combinable pea breeding programme focusses on producing pea varieties with the best possible resistance to lodging, a range of maturities to suit different environments and robust disease resistance to downy and powdery mildew, Asochyta, root rot (Aphanomyces) and Fusarium.

Will Pillinger, Limagrain’s Senior Pulse Breeder

“Depending on what markets the peas are being grown for there is a requirement for specific traits, for example colour retention in large blues and marrowfats, to protein levels in white peas,” he adds.

Will quotes the example of newly PGRO Recommended large blue pea LG Stallion, which based on its high yields and excellent colour retention already holds 7% of the market.

“LG Stallion is listed at yielding 100% over control in official trials. This yield improves on farm as LG Stallion holds the world pea yield record from harvest 2017, where it yielded 6.47 t/ha in the Lincolnshire Wolds.”

LG Stallion

“Significantly, over several seasons this yield has shown itself to be stable, and even in the difficult season of 2018, LG Stallion still managed to produce excellent yields – 5.6 t/ha at 14.76% moisture.”

“Marrowfats for human consumption or micronizing need to offer excellent colour retention, taste and shape. These factors, along with LG Stallion’s excellent standing power and good disease resistance, make for a really good package,” he points out.

Yield is the most important factor when breeding beans with standing ability following closely behind, points out Mr Pillinger.

“So, our breeding programme focusses on this, as well as building in more specific traits such as winter hardiness, maturity, plant tillering, water logging and drought tolerance.”

“We are always looking for ways to increase the protein content in beans within our programme and have had success with the spring bean LG Cartouche, which has the highest protein content of any bean on the RL of 29.1% –  1.6% higher than Fanfare.”

LG Cartouche

On farm, LG Cartouche will stand well for an early harvest as it offers the joint highest standing power on the PGRO Recommended List 2019 (8) and a 7 for earliness to harvest.

• LG Skyscraper takes leading position as the highest yielding wheat, LG Spotlight gains recommendation as a soft milling feed with exceptional grain quality and LG Detroit joins the Group 2’s, based on its yield potential and Crusoe-like quality.
• Winter barley LG Mountain sits at the top of the barley list as the highest yielding two row barley in the north and LG Flynn follows slightly behind on yield with a very high specific weight.
• Conventional oilseed rape variety Aspire offers the highest UK seed yield of all varieties on the AHDB List 2019-2020.

WHEATS

LG Skyscraper

For the first time in over a decade, a soft wheat now tops the Recommended List at 106% over control; LG Skyscraper is a real breakthrough with an automatic recommendation based on a yield which is a clear 2% above all other varieties.

“This is not a one off performance – LG Skyscraper has consistently performed over the past three contrasting years in official trials and with its high specific weight, good disease resistance plus midge resistance, it is well suited to all regions of the UK,” says Ed Flatman, senior wheat breeder with Limagrain UK.

“The variety has particular interest for growers in the north, with grain suitable for distilling and mid-early maturity. LG Skyscraper’s early maturity offers growers elsewhere the advantage of top yields combined with the flexibility to spread harvest workloads, which is a rare attribute as highest yields often tend to be the result of extended grain fill from late maturity – which is not the case for LG Skyscraper.”

As it’s a variety suited to the main sowing window and onwards, based on its growth and development – early sowing should be avoided, points out Mr Flatman.

LG Spotlight

LG Spotlight, at 104%, sits within the group of top hard feed varieties on the new Recommended List. The variety offers an exceptional combination of high yields, stiff straw and excellent physical grain quality.

“LG Spotlight’s grain quality is impressive, with an average specific weight above 78 and Hagberg approaching 300; a combination not seen before in soft wheat.

“What underlies this high Hagberg is one of the highest levels of sprouting resistance normally only seen in top quality bread varieties, giving growers security when erratic weather conditions delay harvest, says Mr Flatman.

LG Spotlight has the best overall combination of top yield and stiff straw; both with and without PGR, of any variety on the List.”

LG Detroit

LG Detroit is a variety with good consistent Group 2 milling quality – superior to others in this sector, and with characteristics similar to many of the current Group 1 varieties.

LG Detroit’s physical grain quality is good, and it has a high specific weight and Hagberg. The impressive attribute is its grain protein which, like it’s parent Crusoe, is consistently almost half a percent above the average expected at any yield. This is due to enhanced conversion of applied nitrogen into grain protein.

“In the field, the variety has a good foliar resistance profile, with the benefit of the best available level of Fusarium resistance. For a bread quality wheat, it also has the significant advantage of resistance to OWBM, with Skyfall being the only other choice,”Says Mr Flatman.

Overall, LG Detroit provides an excellent combination of grower and end user benefits, thus establishing itself in the Group 2 sector.

BARLEY

“Interest in high yielding 2 row winter barleys remains strong, despite the introduction of 6 row hybrids. Growers of 2 rows particularly favour varieties with good specific weight that produce big quantities of quality straw. LG Mountain and LG Flynn should exactly fit the bill,” says Les Daubney, marketing director for arable seeds for Limagrain.

LG Mountain is the highest yielding 2 row variety in the north, with a yield of 105%, and therefore competing with the hybrids. This, combined with early maturity and good specific weight, makes LG Mountain an excellent choice for growers in this region.

LG Flynn is also very high yielding, being particularly strong in the west (at 104%), where much of the 2row feed barley is grown. The variety has a very high specific weight, (69.7 kg/hl), combined with stiff straw and good disease resistance. This is an excellent all-round package for both grain and straw production.

OILSEED RAPE

Aspire

The UK-based Limagrain oilseed rape breeding programme continues to create varieties specifically tailored to the needs of UK growers. As a result of this focused approach, Aspire has achieved a UK wide recommendation as the highest yielding conventional variety – outperforming well established varieties in both regions.

“The high yield and oil genetic potential of the variety is coupled with a really attractive agronomic package. With a very robust 7 for light leaf spot and a 6 for stem canker plus TuYV resistance, this is a disease package that suits every situation, anywhere in the country,” says senior oilseed rape breeder, Vasilis Gegas.

“On top of all of this, Aspire is a short variety with the highest possible score for stem stiffness.”

The demand and pressure placed on the modern day greenkeeper to produce a consistent playing surface continually grows at a pace. Seed quality, purity and vigour are the essential ingredients of a first-class golf course and Limagrain’s MM range of seed mixture provides exactly these.

For a number of years, greenkeepers and course managers have been reaping the benefits by choosing the MM brand. All the varieties in the MM mixtures are thoroughly tested at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) – ensuring that the finished product will meet your requirements for play, appearance and maintenance.

For greens, the traditional Chewings Fescue / Browntop bent mix, MM11, remains a popular choice in many cases and can be used from spring to autumn. It is ideal for new constructions and overseeding existing swards. A slight variation of which is MM10; both mixes are fine leaved, disease resistant and make good, dense putting surfaces. Where it is difficult to maintain fescue in the sward or where levels of wear are greater, many choose to use MM9 – a three way Browntop bent mixture – in late summer/early autumn for best results. For links style courses, sustainable golf or for early season overseeding, MM8 may well be the solution – a three way fescue mix with excellent disease resistance, drought tolerance and minimal fertiliser requirements.

If you are looking for a mixture ideal for tees then the all ryegrass MM50 should be considered. It is capable of rapid establishment and fast recovery from divot scarring. For large tees where play is less intense, MM22 is a viable option. Where damage and wear are minimal, use MM12 or MM13, both are suited to ‘Links style’ courses, are drought tolerant and have low maintenance requirements.

For fairways, adaptability is the key attribute because soil conditions, light and shade, contouring and wear will vary markedly in different areas of the course. Choose low maintenance, drought tolerant mixtures with creeping varieties where wear levels are low, such as MM12 or MM13 and select ryegrass mixes, such as MM22, on high divot or intense wear areas.

Visitors to the stand can also find out how Limagrain’s Wild Flower and Colour Splash mixtures have been benefitting countless golf courses throughout the UK and beyond. The mixtures are ideal for those wanting to bring a splash of colour to their golf course as well as attracting some fantastic wildlife.

With a wide range of mixtures available, both the Wild Flower and Colour Splash mixtures are extremely easy to sow and the resulting flowers are vigorous plants which are more than capable of competing with weeds. Their vigour is equally matched by robustness; resisting long periods of drought. They are also fast flowering and cost effective.

Limagrain’s amenity seed specialists will all be on hand at BTME to discuss the products in more detail and will also be available to offer their expertise on any queries you may have.

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

While most maize growers in 2018 achieved reasonable yields and good quality forage harvested early in near perfect conditions allowing early establishment of successor crops, in many ways it was far from a vintage season. The wet, cold spring meant many crops were drilled late and were then quickly hit by the spell of hot, dry weather.  While this ensured exceptional accumulation of Ontario Heat Units (OHU) fundamental for crops maturity, the drought put many crops under stress.

“The wet spring caused a number of problems,” comments Rick Swait from LG Seeds.  “With drilling delayed, a proportion of crops went into poorly prepared seed beds, particularly on heavier land and this affected how well crops got away.

“In addition, a wider issue was that maize is a lazy plant and with high moisture in the soil the root system was under-developed.  Then, when the weather improved and vegetative growth accelerated, crops became under drought-stress quicker due to the poor root structure.  Later in the season when the summer storms hit the UK, the weaker roots contributed to an increased incidence of lodging.”

Mr Swait says that the early season also caught farmers out at harvest with many crops ready three weeks sooner than usual.  Crops that are over mature at harvest and more lignified will have reduced feed value and will consolidate less well in the clamp, increasing the risk of aerobic spoilage when clamps are opened.  In addition, the senescing plant will have a higher population of yeast and moulds which not only cause spoilage but can also lead to problems with mycotoxins.  Finally, the poorer forage will not promote intakes as high as a crop harvested between 32-35% DM.

The impact of all these challenges was minimised in many cases by appropriate variety choice and careful management.  Variety selection has been a key decision for Dorset dairy farmer Richard Davies who farms at Bishops Caundle in the Blackmore Vale, near Sherborne.

Milking 260 cows on a 580 acre farm, Richard is the second generation of the family at the farm and his father Michael is still involved in the business.  It was Michael who began production of Dorset Blue Vinney cheese at the farm in 1983 and now 20% of their production is processed on farm, with the balance sold to Barbers on a constituent based contract.

Milk quality is fundamentally important to their business model and the all year round calving herd is averaging 9500 litres at 4.20% fat and 3.4% protein.  The closed herd in breed to bulls which are positive for constituents but Richard admits you need the right breeding and feeding to produce high quality milk.

“Our system is based on a TMR ration in the winter and we graze during the summer although high yielders only go out by day,” Richard explains.  “The TMR typically contains grass and maize silage, a blend and caustic wheat and we are looking for M+30 from the highs and M+20 from the low yielders.  Dairy cake is fed in the parlour.

“We are currently feeding 30% maize and 70% grass and maize is vital for compositional quality, being a great source of starch for glucogenic energy.  We have been as high as 50% maize but with predominantly heavy land we need to be prudent about how we grow the crop.”

They are not new to the crop having first grown maize around 40 years ago but struggled with the typical late varieties of that time and getting the crop harvested.

At the peak they were growing 120-140 acres of maize but have reduced this for a number of reasons.  In wet autumns they were doing soil damage and had a lot of exposed ground over the winter.  Now 70-80 acres of maize is grown in rotation with winter wheat.  As maize is the only spring crop grown it needs to be off early to allow wheat to be established, so they are restricted as to the fields that can be used successfully.

“Maize is a fantastic feed but is not cheap to grow.  We are looking to produce around 1400 tonnes but quality is key.  We want high energy content with digestible starch to promote dry matter intakes.  So variety choice is a big decision.”

Over time they have moved to earlier varieties, working closely with Tim Rutter from Pearce Seeds, who says that early varieties with good early vigour are crucial to a successful crop.

“The right variety has a big impact and locality can make a big difference,” Tim comments.  “To help farmers make an informed choice, we run local variety screening trials at Sturminster Newton which is an area similar to where Richard farms.

“For several years Richard has grown the LG variety Glory alongside another variety to spread risk but this year we went 100% Glory as it has been performing so well in the field and in the feed trough.  With only one maize clamp everything has to be harvested in one go and a single variety reduces any spread of maturity”

Typically the farm is not early drilling with maize usually sown in the first week of May, but this year Richard had to wait until 21^st May for a suitable seed bed and soil temperature. A seed rate of 45,000 seeds per acre is used.  They had drilled at 42,000/acre in the past as a way to bring maturity forward, but as Glory is early maturing they have increased seed rate again to push total yields. The maize land receives a generous application of slurry along with 100kg/acre of 25:0:16 and 50kg/acre of Maizestart in the seed bed.  Maizestart contains trace elements to encourage early growth. Weed control is based on a pre-emergence herbicide which takes the pressure off timing for the post-emergence spray and Tim believes it gives better overall weed control.

“We want to keep the maize as clean as possible so we don’t need to worry about weeds after harvest.”

Harvest is usually in the second week of October but Tim and Richard regularly walked the crop and this year the forager went in on 26^th September, some two weeks earlier.

The crop was cut with an 8” stubble to leave as much lignin in the field as possible for better feed value and to reduce soil contamination.  The maize was copped at 25mm to increase effective fibre and particle size to drive butterfat. Richard usually expects to get 15 tonnes per acre, but while yield was slightly down this year, quality was excellent and he expects the maize to feed well (see table).

Richard Davies says crop management at harvest is key.  “Getting the right chop length while ensure the grain is adequately processed makes a big difference to how the maize feeds alongside the grass.

“Crop management is also vital to reduce any spoilage.  The clamp is rolled well and covered with clingfilm and two sheets of plastic.  We have used an inoculant in the past.

“Silage is removed using a shear grab and we get across the 11m clamp face in three days.

“By focussing on early maturing varieties combining high vigour with excellent dry matter yields and energy content we can produce the tonnage of high quality feed we need despite the restrictions imposed by the farm and produce the high quality milk which is core to our business,” Richard concludes.

Rick Swait believes there are three important lessons that maize growers should take forward into next year which will be beneficial irrespective of how the season unfolds.  The first is to not rush drilling, even if it is delayed by the weather.

“Maize needs a fine tilth and a soil temperature of at least 8°C so take the time to get the seed bed right to give the plant the best chance of getting away quickly and develop a strong root system.  This can be helped by selecting a variety with good early vigour.

“The second lesson is to make sure you select a variety which is going to mature in time irrespective of the season.  Early harvest can benefit in multiple ways: cutting in good field conditions, having a forage available to feed sooner and reduced mud on the road, plus easier establishment of a successor crop.

“Our OHU map allows you to see the average OHU accumulation for your postcode and so determine the most suitable maturity class for your farm.  As early varieties require fewer OHU, they are generally a more reliable option.  Make sure you order seed early to ensure you get the variety you want and don’t have to compromise.

“Finally, you are making a quality feed so select a variety which will produce good yields of an energy dense forage, but remember feed value is affected by crop maturity and the crop needs to be harvested at optimum condition.  This will vary dependent on the season.  There is no set harvest window for maize.  It is determined by the farm, the variety and the season so get into the habit of walking crops regularly from late August.”

2018 Maize silage analysis

“The typical pattern of maize seed sales is that only around 50% of seed is ordered by the end of February,” he comments.  “The balance is ordered late, often in April, with farmers delaying purchases for a variety of reasons.  Most years they are able to get most, if not all the seed they require but this season looks like it will be different.”

Demand for maize seed is likely to increase as farmers look to rebuild forage stocks after a difficult season.  With forecast tightening of milk prices and likely feed cost inflation fuelled by exchange rates, he says milk from forage will be even more important.  Growing extra acres of maize is a good way to increase total forage production and there is increased interest in growing maize on contract as a way to increase 2019 output.

“Increased demand could mean that stocks for some varieties may be in short supply later in the season and there are real advantages in getting the optimum variety.”

Tim Richmond, Maize Product Manager for Limagrian

Mr Richmond says that the newer, earlier maturing varieties are in high demand.  Farmers saw the benefits of early maturing options with good early vigour last year with crops getting established and away quickly.  The earlier harvest also means crops are taken in good conditions and with silage made sooner, it can be incorporated in diets quicker.

“The market has been moving towards earlier varieties for several years.  If demand remains high, those looking to buy seed late may find that only later maturing options are available.

“The other key to variety selection is silage yield and quality.  Rigorous plant breeding objectives have resulted in significant advances in variety performance with increases in dry matter production and starch content.  Combined, these mean the average variety today can produce enough energy to produce an additional 5600 litres per hectare compared to 15 years ago.

“If by ordering late you miss out on the better performing varieties, the consequence will be that you may have to grow an older variety with a resultant reduction in yield, feed value and milk from forage.”

Mr Richmond further warns that the most widely used seed treatment which farmers have relied on for years is being phased out.  The enhanced insecticide Mesurol (methiocarb) which is extensively used to reduce problems with frit fly as well as bird damage will no longer be available.  The supply of treated seed is unlikely to continue into April, particularly for the most popular varieties.

“As this is the last year when Mesurol can be used, seed houses will be running down supplies of treated seed because any stocks left will have to be destroyed.  For the same reason, distributors will be reluctant to carry excess stocks.  Together these mean that the supply of treated seed will be reduced as the season unwinds.

“Sowing untreated seed will increase the risk of poorer establishment and greater losses as a result of bird damage.

“By ordering early you will be able to ensure that not only do you get the variety you want, but also that the seed has been treated to help ensure good establishment.”

As all maize seed either originates in, or is packaged in Europe before being shipped across the channel, Mr Richmond also warns that depending on the terms of any Brexit deal there may be a risk of delays in getting maize seed into the country.

Deciding on Maize variety early is key to 2019

“Any increase in border and customs checks will potentially delay seed getting to distributors and onward to farm.  As yet, it is impossible to predict what may happen but it may be prudent to reduce the risk of disruption.”

“The benefits of getting maize ordered early will far outweigh any potential benefits of a delay.  The most common justifications for late ordering are the hope of late season deals and avoiding having seed in store for too long.

“When set against the prospect of getting the variety you want and with that seed being treated, the benefits of delaying are insignificant this year.  The alternative could be untreated seed of a poorer quality variety and the prospect of higher feed costs next winter.”

In 2017, Chris Latham who farms at Bulkeley near Whitchurch took the decision to stop milk production, selling his 150 cow herd and youngstock and moving into beef and arable production on his 115 acre unit.

He had previously grown maize and while it suited the soil type it did not suit his rotation.  But moving into an arable rotation meant maize could fit well and had the advantage of being a good way to clean land and control grass weeds ahead of wheat.

A discussion with Neil Lewis who runs a herd of 140 cows five miles away with his son Michael, lead to the opportunity to grow maize on contract.

“We have grown maize since we went back into milk four years ago,” Neil Lewis explains.  “We want to feed maize all year round and for it to be a larger component of the diet so were looking to increase production.  However, our farm is on heavier ground and while it is well suited to grass, maize can be a challenge.

“We need a good yield for maize to be economic but we were often disappointed with the yield we achieved so the opportunity to grow some of the maize on better ground was attractive.  By growing maize on contract with Chris he could get the cereal break he wanted while we would get a better supply of forage from a farm better suited to maize.”

Central to the agreement was variety choice and as Sarah-Jane Baldwin, from Wynnstay explains the challenge is selecting a variety that suits the farm and meets the objectives of both parties.

“From Neil’s viewpoint the key drivers are yield of forage and forage quality, optimising the feed produced on the acreage grown,” she comments.  “Chris, however, is not directly concerned with physically output.  His requirement is a crop which is off early allowing him to drill successor crops in good time.  At the same time, being an ex-dairy farmer he appreciated the need for a high quality feed.

“We chose the LG Variety Reason because it had all the attributes we needed and it was the same variety that Neil was growing on his own farm and had been pleased with.  By allowing an increased acreage and growing maize on more suitable land, the arrangement would more than double the quantity of maize silage produced.

Reason combines early maturity with good feed quality

“Reason is a very early variety with good early vigour and standing ability, combined with excellent dry matter, starch and ME yields to give the quality feed.”

Clear responsibilities and split of costs was agreed at the start of the season.  Chris was responsible for all growing costs with a price per acre agreed for the harvested crop.  Neil was responsible for harvesting costs and had total control over how the forage was made.  The acreage cost was split with 50% up front and 50% in September.  Wynnstay agronomist Charlie Dolphin provided on-going agronomy advice.

Early vigour was particularly important this year as the crop was sown two weeks later than usual on 6th May, but Chris waited until soil temperature had risen and he could produce a fine seedbed after the wet spring.  The seed rate was 45,000 seeds per acre.

Being an ex-dairy farm, P and K were high, so no bagged fertiliser was required but Calcifert was applied to the seedbed to get the pH close to 6.5.  175kg/ha of nitrogen were applied pre-crop emergence.

“I don’t like to put nitrogen on maize at the 2-3 leaf stage as there is a risk of crop damage,” Charlie Dolphin explains.  “We would usually apply a foliar feed at the latest point it is possible to travel through the crop but given the extremely hot and dry conditions this season, we decided against it.”

Charlie Dolphin from Wynnstay and Chris Latham

Weed control was carried out post-emergence using mesotrione and nicosulfuron.  At the same time a micronutrient was applied.

Chris Latham was pleased with how the Reason performed in a difficult season.  After drilling, the first rain it received was on 1^st June with no more for six weeks.

“It got going very quickly thanks to the early vigour and then coped well with the drought stress.  It grew well and stood well.”

From mid-August onwards Charlie Dolphin regularly assessed the crop as it was maturing quickly.  In his experience Reason dries down quickly which makes it easier to ensure harvesting at the optimum 32-35% dry matter.

The crop was harvested on September 14^th which was a fortnight sooner than anticipated and yielded around 20t/acre with good feed value.  The early harvest ensured Chris could follow up with winter wheat into a good seed bed.

“Growing maize on contract has been really successful,” Chris Latham comments.  “It suits our rotation well and helps with weed control while Neil has produced an increased amount of quality forage for the winter.

“By planning everything up front and working closely with an experienced agronomist about key decisions such as variety choice and harvest date, we could meet our differing objectives successfully.

“Looking forward we may look at the structure for payments, perhaps agreeing a price per acre based on a set yield, with a £/tonne adjustment above or below the target.  It is probably a fairer way to reflect the value of the crop and with weighbridges it will not be difficult to achieve.”

With dairy farmers having to consider ways to rebuild forage stocks, maize on contract could be a productive option for 2019.

January was wetter than average for much of the UK and while February was drier, it was also very cold. Unsettled weather returned for much of March and April, before the record-breaking hot summer started in May.

Limagrain UK’s arable technical manager Ron Granger says this demonstrates the tough conditions growers can face when trying to get crops established in the spring.

Success Stories

Limagrain’s Arable Technical Manager, Ron Granger

He points out that despite the topsy-turvy spring, there were success stories, with good yields achieved where growers used windows of opportunity in both early March and April to drill into good seed-beds with plenty of moisture.

However, where these chances weren’t taken, rapidly drying seed-beds towards the end of the drilling window in April saw crops establish poorly and suffer as a consequence, particularly on heavier soils.

It is known that drilling in late February or early March can boost yield potential, so growers should aim to drill earlier if the season allows.

“My view is that drilling should not be delayed if both weather and soil conditions allow for rapid emergence and unchecked plant growth”.

“However, if growers are pushed later, like we saw in 2018, it’s vital to wait for the right seed-bed conditions to allow for good crop establishment. The last thing you want is for a crop to start growing, run out of moisture and grind to a halt,” explains Mr Granger.

Flexible Seed Rates

In addition to getting drilling date spot on, seed rates were also important for optimising yield in 2018, particularly as many crops were not established well into April.

Mr Granger says flexibility is key when calculating spring barley seed rates and Limagrain trials have shown a good starting point for most varieties is 350 seeds/m2 when sown into optimum conditions in mid-March.

This should be adjusted down if drilling earlier and in very good conditions. Conversely, growers need to push up seed rates when drilling after the end of March, as varieties have less time to tiller and reach the optimum final ear count of 775 ears/m2.

“Some of the very late-drilled crops in 2018 were in the ground for less than four months and seed rates of 550 seeds/m2 were not uncommon. This was the only way a good final ear number and optimum yield could be achieved in many cases.”

“Choosing a more vigorous tillering variety will help, as it will give some reassurance that the optimum tiller count will be reached.”

LG Diablo and LG Tomahawk – new spring barley additions last season, sitting at the top of the AHDB Recommended List – are higher tillering and have performed very well in 2018, despite tough conditions.

“Varieties that produce higher tiller counts also show benefits in high stress situations, as they will be able to compensate where plant numbers are low,” adds Mr Granger.

Tiller Survival

Another aspect of spring barley agronomy impacted by the challenging 2018 spring is nutrition, with drying soils hindering nitrogen uptake and tiller survival in later-drilled spring barley crops.

High tillering varieties perform better in stressful situations

Mr Granger advocates a split dose approach and Limagrain trials, run in conjunction with Scottish Agronomy, have shown a yield benefit from applying 150kg/ha of total N, with 120kg/ha in the seed-bed (standard practice) and an additional 30kg/ha N at tillering.

However, greater flexibility might be needed in exceptional conditions, such as last spring, when insufficient moisture limited plants’ ability to uptake nutrients from the soil.

“Too many growers apply all the crop’s nitrogen requirement in one dose and hope for the best – that’s a bad idea, particularly when it’s dry.

“Be aware of the moisture status in the soil and ensure that the plants will be able to use the nitrogen straight away or you risk wasting N and losing tillers,” he explains.

Mr Granger emphasises that nutrition is not all about nitrogen, with adequate available phosphate in the soil imperative for crop growth and maintaining shoot numbers.

Micronutrients also play an important role in establishment, rooting and maintaining tillers, so consider using a nutritional seed treatment, plus foliar manganese and phosphite applications early in the crop’s development, he adds.

No stranger to high yields, Tim Lamyman of Worlaby Farms in Lincolnshire holds the world record yield for combining peas of 6.47 t/ha, with a crop of LG Stallion blue peas.

Whilst not attempting a world record in 2018, Mr Lamyman still managed a very impressive performance in what was a very challenging season for pulse crops, with a second crop of LG Stallion peas that yielded 5.6 t/ha at 14.76% moisture.

We asked Mr Lamyman what his top ten tips are for growing a successful crop of peas…

1. Variety choice
Choose the right variety for your situation. It must be high yielding, have good standing power to support it’s yield and have good disease resistance.

2. Drilling conditions
The soil must be aerated before drilling and soil conditions must be excellent for drilling into – forcing any pulse crop into damp soggy soils will restrict root growth from the start.

3. Seed rate
My experience with peas has taught me to edge on a 10% higher rate than recommended. This is to allow the peas to compete with each other earlier, and fill in all the gaps to stop the pigeons from getting in, (if you are lucky enough to not have a pigeon problem, then you can ignore this advice!).

4. Attention to timing of insecticide applications
It’s very important to prevent infection from viruses as these are detrimental to pea yields.

5. Early nutrition in the form of XStress
This helps the pea plant to fight the extremes of weather through the growing season. When the weather conditions are as dry as they were last season, it is essential to use this product more than once.

6. Tissue testing
Carry this out three to four weeks before the pea plant is due to flower, to ascertain any nutrition deficits and to allow yourself plenty of time to balance them up.

7. Potassium levels at flowering
Must be kept up as this element will severely restrict yield if it is low. I would always be applying ToPPit at this time and a 0/30/40 high P and K product specially designed for use in peas.

8. Fungicide choice
Use a targeted approach for the diseases to which your peas are susceptible.

9. Flowering
Targeting specific nutrition at this time will help increase your yield and even out your sample of peas. I would seriously recommend trying CalFlux and XStress mixed in with the fungicide timing.

10. Desiccation timing
To obtain a human consumption sample and a big premium, desiccating a day or two earlier is much safer for sample quality than being a day.