Early Maturing Maize Varieties: What Farmers Really Gain by Going Earlier

Producing milk without maize isn’t something that Flintshire dairy farmer Tom Beltcher would like to consider.

Not only is it a vital part of his 450-cow herd’s ration, but it has become an integral part of his farming system, fitting into a rotation in which double-cropping is now commonplace.

Success in recent years has come through the use of the earliest maturing varieties available, with continuing progress by maize breeders meaning that an early harvest does not have to result in any compromises on yield, nutritional value or digestibility.

“We’ve grown maize for as long as I can remember, but it has become more important to us in the last ten years,” says Tom. “Our cows are averaging around 10,000 litres, so maize silage is essential to complement grass silage. We make our grass silage using a multi-cut system. This produces a high quality forage but, with grass, there is always more risk of inconsistencies resulting from variable growing conditions and unpredictable weather at the time you’re cutting. Maize now typically makes up around half of our forage ration and offers all-important stability and consistency that ensures we keep the cows performing.”

The Beltchers are based at Argoed Hall Farm, near Mold, and typically grow around 250 acres of maize each year, with a further 150 acres usually grown on contract on neighbouring farms. Whether the maize is grown at home or on contract, Tom insists on a responsible approach that looks after the land and minimises the risks of any problems associated with a late harvest in wet conditions.

“The aim is to have the crops off as early as we can, allowing the opportunity to establish another crop in the autumn,” he says. “On our farm that is usually winter wheat, but it can be a grass crop that will provide an early first cut. We apply the same thinking with crops grown on contract, because double-cropping is the best way to manage the land, environmentally and economically. It’s about working together for the best mutual outcomes.”

Tom Beltcher with his father Roger.

Argoed Hall Farm is predominantly a heavy clay site, so is considered marginal for maize. The policy is to grow the earliest maturing material available, with Limagrain Field Seeds’ Ultra Early variety Duke standing out in 2025. Duke is an example of the type of genetic progress resulting from an extensive UK breeding programme that is focused on producing stable varieties that deliver high yields of dry matter within a shorter growing window, without compromising on nutritional quality and digestibility.

With up to eight trials sites across the UK, Limagrain Fields Seeds is selecting LG varieties that have the proven consistency of performance required in UK conditions by farmers like Tom Beltcher, delivering a number of new improved varieties onto the NIAB/BSPB Descriptive List every year.

“Overall, we’ve averaged around 18-19 tonnes per acre across all our maize crops this year, and Duke has been the standout performer,” adds Tom. “We drilled about a week earlier than usual, in the first week of April, because seedbed conditions were right. It was something of a gamble, but it paid off because we had moist soils during the critical establishment phase. Given the early start the maize had, it’s been a good year for the crop, and our earliest harvest ever.”

Making up around half of the forage ration, maize provides much-needed stability and consistency alongside grass silage.

For Tom, maize is his priority, which he admits sometimes means the farm is not making full use of cover crops grown over winter. It’s a sacrifice he considers worthwhile, however, as it means the maize always has the best possible start.

“We want to have the maize ground mucked, ploughed, broken down and power harrowed by early April, so we can drill as soon as soil temperatures are right,” he says.

“That may mean we’re taking a very early first cut off a grass crop, and losing potential yield, but I’d rather maximise what we can achieve from the maize.”

Maize is drilled with a microgranular phosphate and nitrogen fertiliser down the spout, and receives a further 100 units of nitrogen per acre when the crop is around knee-high. Crops receive pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides, but no other specialist inputs.

“It’s a great crop, when you consider the amount of high quality dry matter you can put in the clamp, and an ideal complement for grass silage.

“Maize has at times had something of a bad name, in relation to issues such as soil erosion, but there is really no need for that to be the case. Growing the very early maturing varieties, which can now deliver great yields and quality, should – more often than not – allow the opportunities to harvest in good conditions and establish an over-winter crop. In the majority of cases, this should be a positive for soil health and the environment, as well as producing clamps full of high quality forage.”

Located just outside Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, Rob Atkin manages a 1,000-acre farm with a focus on arable cropping and grass -fed, home-reared cattle. As a third-generation farmer, he works alongside his father Peter, combining experience with a practical, forward-thinking approach to land management.

The farm operates across a wide range of soil types, from organic-rich alluvial soils to heavier, more challenging clays; Mixed – light alluvial (9–12% OM) to heavy clay (3–4% OM).

To maintain soil structure and workability, Rob has used a shallow tillage system since 2003, working to a depth of 10–15 cm, but remains flexible — what he refers to as “thoughtful farming” — adjusting his methods according to seasonal and soil conditions.

The cropping strategy is designed around maximising first wheat performance while maintaining oilseed rape (OSR) as a break crop just once every five years. The rotation includes wheat, barley (winter and spring), oats, beans, maize, and OSR. Cattle are fed using home-grown rations based on forage maize and beans, contributing to a fully integrated farm system.

How many different varieties are grown and how long is a variety grown for?

Wheat: LG Beowulf, LG Rebellion, Oxford, Bamford, LG Typhoon
Winter Barley: LG Caravelle
Spring Barley: LG Diablo, Planet, Skyway
Oats: Ascani
Beans: LG Raptor (spring), Tundra (winter)
Maize: KWS Leto, LG Gema

Rob grows a wide range of varieties tailored to different roles in the rotation.

His current wheat portfolio includes LG Beowulf, LG Rebellion, Oxford, Bamford, and LG Typhoon, grown for feed and marketed through Openfield and ADM. He aims for around 8.5t/ha.

“A variety is typically grown for two to three years to assess performance across different seasons. If it continues to deliver strong results, it remains in the programme until yield performance begins to decline,” he explains.

Barley plays a smaller role in the rotation, with 13–14 ha of winter barley (currently LG Caravelle) and around 80 ha of spring barley split between LG Diablo, Planet, and Skyway.

OSR remains an important break crop, typically covering 50–60 ha. While the farm has long favoured Dekalb hybrids, this season Rob is trialling LG Armada and LG Avenger to evaluate their performance.
Rob prefers to use local trials when looking at new varieties to grow. “ We are an Agrii iFarm and host trials for then, so that gives us an invaluable insight to how varieties will grow on our farm, I also judge for the Staffordshire Agricultural Society so get to visit farms in the region and look at a range of different varieties that way.”

What characteristics are most important to you when choosing a variety?

For Rob, yield remains a key priority — but not at any cost. He looks for varieties that offer good performance without needing excessive inputs.

“Yield is always important,” he says, “but I want that to come without ridiculously high inputs— we are not interested in a variety that requires high spend to push for yields.”

High disease resistance is just as critical. “That’s really linked to yield and just as important,” he adds.

Crop vigour is another major consideration, both in autumn and spring. “I’d much rather be managing a forward crop in March than trying to catch one up.”

Early drilling suitability rounds out the main criteria, as drilling around the third week of September is standard practice on the farm. “Any later than this and crops just don’t have the time to get the tillers on before the winter.”

1. Yield
2. Disease resistance
3. Vigour
4. Early driller

Have these characteristics, or weight of importance, changed over recent years?

No! Rob believes his priorities in variety selection have remained consistent. While environmental and regulatory pressures may be evolving, the fundamental traits he values have stayed the same.

“It’s always been about finding the right balance between yield and reliable agronomics,” he says.

Why LG varieties?

LG varieties feature strongly in Rob’s rotation because they offer a practical combination of yield and agronomic strength.

“In my view, LG produces farmer-friendly varieties,” he explains. “They’re high yielding, but they’re also clean, vigorous, and manageable. That gives us a kind of yield security — and that’s worth a lot.”

He also values how clearly LG varieties are positioned in terms of agronomy and management. “Take LG Typhoon — it’s well suited to early drilling, and it’s a very clean variety. You know where it fits and how to get the best out of it.”

How have the varieties performed this season?

Crops are performing well so far, with low disease pressure across all varieties. Rob reports that the season has allowed for a reduction in fungicide inputs, helping to control costs without compromising crop health.

“Disease levels have been low this year, so we dropped the T0 spray. We’ll go in with a T2 as the flag leaf pulls away from the ear — what I call a ‘head & shoulders’ spray.”

To compensate for the lighter fungicide programme, Rob has focused on supporting plant health through nutrition:

• Nitrogen: All wheat crops receive around 200 kg/ha in three splits, with early applications of sulphur
• Micronutrients: Particular attention is paid to managing trace elements, especially on the alluvial soils where nutrient availability can be more variable
• Spring applications: Crops received boron, sulphur, magnesium, and manganese to support key growth stages

“On the light soils, trace elements like magnesium and manganese are critical. If they’re not available when the plant needs them, it shows.”

“Among the wheats LG Beowulf and LG Rebellion are looking very clean this spring, and in the dry conditions appear to be holding on better than other varieties.”

OSR crops are also showing promise, supported by slurry applications pre-drilling and targeted spring nutrition.

“LG Armada has held onto its petals just that little but longer than other varieties, so hopefully this will play out in numbers of pods.”

• Early slurry helps establish strong root systems
• Spring sulphur is applied to maintain growth and yield potential
• A cost-effective fungicide approach is used — selecting varieties with good phoma and sclerotinia resistance is essential

“We don’t overspend on fungicides for OSR — that’s why varietal resistance is a key factor for us.”

As experienced contractors and longstanding maize growers in their own right, Martin Evans Farming know all about the importance of good variety selection.

In their own case, very early maturity is a key priority, to ensure harvest is underway by the end of September so that following crops can be established in good time.

They also require consistent performance, with starch and energy levels as high as possible to underpin the ration of their 1,500-cow herd of high performing pedigree Holsteins.

“Maize is the mainstay of the forage ration for our milking herd, making up around 60% alongside grass silage,” explains Josh Evans. “The higher the quality, the better, as it reduces other feed costs, but we’re also focused on crops reaching full maturity early. We always aim to establish a following crop to cover the ground over the winter, whether that’s after maize grown within a rotation or a crop that’s grown continuously. It’s important to prevent soil erosion over winter, and to have a crop in the ground to minimise any leaching of nutrients.”

Martin Evans Farming, based at Priddbwll Mawr, Llangedwyn, near Oswestry, usually grows between 500 and 600 acres of maize each year, most of it as part of an arable rotation and typically followed by winter wheat. The remainder is grown on ground suited to continuous maize, where the usual practice is to follow it with an over-winter cover crop, such as a Westerwolds and Italian ryegrass blend.

The farm’s agronomist, Ian Evans of BCW Agriculture Ltd (Frontier), provides guidance on varieties, with the 2024 acreage largely being drilled with the very early variety Skipper or the slightly later maturing Saxon, both from Limagrain and bred through the company’s robust and extensive UK screening and testing programme.

“With such a large and important maize acreage, we’re looking for varieties that will reliably get up and out of the ground, and stand up and perform in terms of yield, starch and energy,” Josh explains. “Skipper meets all these criteria, and as it is very early – often selected to perform in more marginal areas – it delivers the early harvest. Saxon has similar attributes, but is slightly later and therefore a better option for our lighter ground.”

The Priddbwll Holsteins are split into two herds, one milked through a rotary and one through a semi-rapid exit parlour, calving all year round. Milked three times daily, the cows are averaging around 13,000 litres/lactation.

“A typical milking ration will contain 22kg of maize silage and 16kg of grass silage, with rape, wheat, ground maize and a protein blend making up the mix,” adds Josh. “The maize is a primary source of energy, so we are trying to maximise the amount we include in the diet.

“It’s important that we fill the clamps with as good a quality crop as possible, so we need reliably performing varieties, and we do the best job we can with everything from seed bed preparation through to nutrition.”

The maize ground at Priddbwll Mawr benefits from applications of either farmyard manure, slurry or poultry muck, so baseline soil nutrition is good. After ploughing at 8-10 inches, the ground is sub-soiled, usually between 14 and 18 inches, and then power harrowed to create a fine tilth.

“We’ll go over with the power harrow twice if necessary, in order to create the seedbed conditions that we need,” says Josh. “There’s little to be gained trying to cut corners with seedbed preparation.”

Drilling date is dictated by the season, but would be as early as 24th April if conditions allowed. In 2024, with cold and damp conditions dominating until beyond the end of April, drilling was delayed until 12th May, further underlying the importance of selecting early maturing varieties like Skipper to counter harvesting delays due to seasonal conditions. As with variety selection, agronomist Ian Evans advises on any further inputs, with the farm using both pre- and post-emergence herbicides to ensure all crops have a clean start.

With base level soil nutrition underpinned by the application of the farm’s own manures, any additional fertilisers are for targeted use, designed to help early establishment and deliver a boost when the crop needs it most. To this end, a starter fertiliser is applied down the spout at drilling, at a rate of 125kg/ha, delivering nitrogen, phosphate and key trace elements. Then, at around 6-8 weeks, Josh has seen benefits from the use of the slow-release urea Nutrino Pro, applied as a foliar spray.

“We’ve used the liquid fertiliser over the last couple of years and it’s something we’ll continue as it seems to give the crops an advantage.”

Harvest date is determined with the help of Ian Evans, with the optimum dry matter range being between 28 and 32% in order to optimise the starch percentage, metabolisable energy (ME) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) available to the dairy cows.

“Even in what has been a difficult year for growing maize, we’ve harvested a mature crop in good time and have what we need in the clamps,” Josh concludes.

Learn more about our high performance maize varieties here or contact your usual seed merchant for availability

Download the Maize Variety Selection Guide here

Despite traditionally being regarded as a niche crop in Scotland due its requirement for warm soils and long hours of sunshine, an increasing number of growers north of the border are successfully harvesting maize as a reliable source of winter forage for livestock.

“With careful planning and attention to detail, early maturing maize varieties can produce consistently high yields of dry matter, starch and easily metabolisable energy,” explains Tim Richmond, Maize Manager for Limagrain Field Seeds UK and Ireland.

The latest generation of ultra early varieties means maize is now a viable forage crop for some Scottish growers.

“Thanks to significant investment in maize breeding programmes, Scottish growers now have the option to grow maize without having to drill crops under plastic and without automatically having to sacrifice yield or crop quality in order to secure a safe and early harvest.

“In fact, many growers in Scotland, typically in the Borders but also further north, have achieved good yields from varieties such as Gema, Dignity and Skipper, all of which are able to produce cost-effective crops in a shorter growing season. In the right conditions, all three can be drilled in May and harvested successfully in October, leaving sufficient time for a following catch crop such as forage rye to be grown before the next maize cycle begins. And with the next generation of ultra early varieties such as Duke which has an even shorter growing season, yield, quality and earliness of harvest are even easier to achieve.”

In addition to a variety which matures early and can therefore be harvested in favourable conditions, and which has a high lodging resistance rating to enable it to cope with unfavourable weather conditions, the key to growing a good crop of maize in Scotland is to ensure crops are drilled into a well-prepared seedbed which has warmed to at least 8oC for at least five consecutive days.

“How well a crop performs at harvest ultimately comes down to how it was cared for in its infancy,” Tim continues. “Even the very best genetics can’t compensate for poor soil preparation, a lack of nutrients or seed which hasn’t been drilled to the correct depth, so attention to detail and selecting the right location is vital to ensuring the crop’s success.

“A sheltered location with free draining soils and preferably with a south facing aspect will be beneficial, with growers also advised to work with an experienced maize contractor and agronomist before jumping into growing maize for the first time,” Tim adds. “And growers should also do their own homework to make sure they’re using a suitable variety. The first port of call should be to study the independent data provided by the BSPB/NIAB Forage Maize Descriptive List to create a shortlist of potential varieties, but growers can also access free tools such as the LG Seeds Maize Manager App to determine which variety or varieties are suited to their specific location.”

The LG Maize Manager App simplifies the decision about which variety to grow.

The Maize Manager App uses the latest trials data and postcode-specific Met Office data to calculate Ontario Heat Unit accumulations for the specified location and processes this information to recommend relevant varieties. In doing so, growers can easily select the optimum variety for their location. The App also features a Sowing Manager tool which calculates the optimum seeding rate for the chosen variety, and a Maturity Manager to determine if the selected location is likely to receive sufficient heat units to grow maize and to advice the optimum date for harvest.

“Growers can also find most of the information they need in the LG Maize Variety Selection Guide,” Tim concludes. “As well as making maize variety choice simple, this handy guide also provides a wealth of crop establishment and nutritional advice, as well as some key pointers in terms of bird, insect and disease control.”

More info

For the BSPB/NIAB Forage Maize Descriptive List, click here

To download the LG Maize Manager App from Apple, click here

To download the LG Maize Manager App from Google Play, click here

To view the 2025 LG Maize Variety Selection Guide, click here

Maximising methane output is the primary objective when running an anaerobic digester and, for the Channing family, that means growing the most consistent and high-quality maize feedstock across 1,000 variable acres. Good advice, on-farm analysis and growing the best varieties all play a part in success.

Consistency is key to maximising ad feedstock value

Running a 500kW anaerobic digester fuelled solely by maize, Alistair Channing has – over the past nine years – learned more about growing the crop than most.

From soils to crop sample analysis, he’s left no stone unturned to achieve not only high yields, but also consistency and quality, all in a remarkably short harvest window.

For most of this time, he has worked collaboratively with the specialist maize team at Limagrain, benefiting from agronomic advice, using an assortment of their varieties, and even hosting crop trials.

Alistair Channing grows 1,000 acres of maize as the sole source of feed for his 500kW AD

“We’re growing 1,000 acres of maize in total, half on our own land and half coming from six neighbouring farms,” explains Alistair. “There is naturally a variation in soil types and soil fertility across this acreage, not least because maize is a break crop on most of the neighbouring farms, so the challenge is to have it all, as far as possible, reaching optimum maturity at the same time.

“At one time we grew maize for dairy cows and growing for AD is basically the same. We want an optimum dry matter of 32% and good levels of starch and digestibility in order to maximise the methane output.

“Over the last eight years, average yields on our home ground sit at 18.8t/acre, compared with 17.35t/acre on the other farms.”

In 2024, the 1,000 acre maize harvest for Channing Digester was completed between the 2nd and 6th October, this being at the better end of their target of 5-7 days.

A dry matter of 32% and good levels of starch and digestibility help to maximise methane output from maize.

“Firstly, we select varieties to suit the soil type and the soil fertility, generally earlier maturing types but it depends on the fields, and this helps to achieve consistent maturity dates,” Alistair continues. “This year harvest was a little later than the norm, largely due to conditions in the spring forcing later drilling, but we were still ahead of most other growers. Working with a reliable contractor that runs two full teams is certainly a big part of hitting our objectives.”

At the Channing’s own farm at Brandon Grange near Coventry, where they once grew a lot of potatoes, the sandy loam soils are generally well-suited to growing maize. Varieties this year have included relatively late maturing types, such as LG31.207, but also one of the newer very early varieties, Promise. By matching varieties to soil type and fertility, the aim is to have everything mature at the same time, as close to 32% dry matter as possible.

“Every trailer goes over a weighbridge and we sample every second or third load to measure the dry matter,” says Alistair. “We have our own mobile laboratory to carry out NIR (near infra-red) spectroscopy and also check dry matters in an oven. Payments are made on weights adjusted to 32% dry matter and we want to be scrupulously fair to all parties.”

Yields range from 17.35 to 18.8t/acre depending on soil type and fertility across the farmed acreage.

Consistency in crop yields and maturity is also achieved with a standardised approach to growing, as far as possible. All maize grown for Channing Digester now has to be sown with a maize drill, with DAP (diammonium phosphate) applied down the spout, and there is a collaborative approach to variety selection. At Brandon Grange Farm, maize is now grown with tramlines, allowing digestate to be used between the rows and the application of late nitrogen. Foliar applied nutrition has also been used.

“We’re constantly looking to improve the way we grow maize, with developments such as slow-release nitrogen under consideration,” adds Alistair.

Growing maize sustainably has always been a priority for the Channings, and the early harvest is important as it allows the establishment of a cover crop, which now enables the farm to qualify for an SFI payment.

“We usually use a mixture of spring oats and mustard, which we seek to establish soon after the maize comes off,” concludes Alistair. “We see this as a green manure, and destroy it mechanically, preferring not to use glyphosate, usually in February. This leaves ample time to apply digestate before preparing the ground for the next crop.

“It’s all about doing the job the best way that we can.”

ROBUST CROPPING PLAN ESSENTIAL

With the government’s Green Gas Support Scheme open to applications until March 2028, interest in growing maize as an important part of the feedstock for biomethane plants remains high.

According to Tim Richmond, Maize Manager for Limagrain Field Seeds UK & Ireland, AD plants are increasing in scale, but the principles around growing a crop remain very much the same.

“Whatever the size of the operation, maximum efficiency will be achieved when all the maize is harvested at the optimum dry matter, and as early in the season as possible,” he says. “A robust cropping plan is even more important for someone that may be harvesting as much as 10,000 acres to supply a biomethane plant.

“After a harvest like 2024, the importance of early maturing varieties cannot be emphasised enough. Avoiding a wet and muddy harvest should be a priority within that cropping plan. Furthermore, early harvests will allow the establishment of cover crops, which is first and foremost best practice but now has the added benefit of an SFI payment.”

When it comes to the suitability of varieties for AD, Limagrain does test varieties for gas output, but as important is the anecdotal evidence coming back from the many plants that the company is working with.

“Often the advice is to grow a range of varieties, tailored to soil type and conditions, that will deliver 32% dry matter within a safe harvest window, with the starch level and cell wall digestibility to maximise gas production,” he adds. “We have a lot of experience of supporting biomethane plant operators, not just in choice of varieties but also how to grow maize to achieve the best outputs.”

Find out more

Learn more about our high performance maize varieties here or contact your usual seed merchant for availability

Download the Maize Variety Selection Guide here

For North Wales mixed farmers Neal Morris and his son George, maize is an important forage for their milk production and beef finishing enterprises. It is also an integral part of their wider farming system, playing a key role as a break crop in their arable rotation.

The important point for Neal and George is that all enterprises are complementary to one another, with nothing done to the detriment of anything else. For that reason, they are constantly evolving their maize growing strategy, with earlier maturing varieties an essential element going forward.

Neal Morris (right) and son, George, run a mixed dairy, beef, sheep and arable business at New Sontley Farm in North Wales.

“We aim to create a balance in everything we do,” Neal says. “With maize, we are looking for consistency, rather than necessarily pushing for the highest yields, and it’s vital that we’ve harvested a mature crop in time to plant winter wheat.

“After the very challenging conditions we encountered in 2023, we’ve done things a little differently in 2024. Instead of growing a single variety, we’ve looked at several different options, including the very early maturing Duke. This has delivered exactly what we’d hoped, in terms of starch and dry matter, but most importantly it produced fully ripe cobs well before the end of September.”

New Sontley Farm, near Wrexham, runs the large, high-yielding Erddig herd of pedigree Holstein Friesian milking cows on a conventional winter housed and summer grazed system. With sexed semen used to optimise the production of replacement heifers, crossbred calves are retained and go into the farm’s beef finishing system. In addition to a substantial arable acreage, the farm also runs a flock of breeding sheep.

350 acres of maize are grown in rotation following either barley, Italian ryegrass or stubble turnips.

The ground is predominantly of a medium loam type, with some heavier land. Maize has been grown since 2000 and now extends to around 350 acres each year. It usually follows barley in the rotation, with stubble turnips or an Italian ryegrass grown over the winter preceding the maize. A lot of attention is paid to seedbed preparation, which Neal considers to be one of the most important aspects to successful maize growing.

“We burn off the preceding crop and apply generous quantities of farmyard manure before ploughing,” he explains. “After applying fertiliser on the furrow, we’ll then go over with a minimum tillage type of subsoiler, to remove any compaction, and then a pass with a power harrow before drilling.

“We never drill before the 1^st May, and are then guided by soil temperatures, ideally getting the crop in before 15^th May. This is to an extent gut feel, but we’ll also take valued guidance from our agronomists and maize seed suppliers Mark Hancock and Buddug Williams, who offer a wider perspective on conditions in the area.

“We do everything except forage chopping in-house, so we’re completely in control of activity and can work best with the conditions.”

Whereas it was once the policy at New Sontley Farm to roll after drilling – to enhance soil contact for the pre-emergence herbicide – Neal now considers the need to minimise compaction to be the greater priority. A post-emergence herbicide will only be used if needed, with an assessment made at around four to six weeks after drilling, and nothing else is required after that.

“One of the things we’ve been trying, with the aim of achieving more consistent maturity, is to vary seed rates,” adds Neal. “By dropping the seed rate slightly, by about 10% on our heavier ground, we’ve found we can create a more even cob maturity across the farm, which helps a lot when it comes to harvest. It’s something we’ll continue to look at.”

When it comes to determining harvest timing, Neal is experienced enough to know when cobs are mature and what the optimum date will be to achieve the most consistent forage stocks in the clamp.

The rule of thumb he’s worked to for years is to start chopping on 1^st October, but this year he found that the Duke, one of the latest generation of ultra early varieties from Limagrain’s breeding programme, was fully mature by around the 10^th September.

“We could have taken the Duke in the first half of September which would have enabled us to drill the following wheat earlier, but we actually delayed harvesting until around ten days later, because nothing else was ready and we didn’t want to have to re-open the clamp,” Neal explains.

Harvesting is largely carried out in-house, with the exception of a contracted-in forage chopper. Neal is not obsessed with yields, so doesn’t measure them, but his contractor reports crops at New Sontley Farm to be well above average for the area.

Maize makes up about 40% of the forage ration on a fresh weight basis, alongside grass silage. These are fed with a protein blend and concentrates in the parlour.

“We want starch and energy for the ration, but the most important thing we need from our maize is that it provides a consistent feed source,” concludes Neal. “It is a natural crop, grown within the balance of a sustainable rotation, that drives milk production. Earlier varieties, like Duke, will help us to achieve these goals, even in the most challenging years.”

Learn more about our high performance maize varieties here or contact your usual seed merchant for availability

Download the Maize Variety Selection Guide here

For Devon dairy farmer Jono Mock, growing early maturing maize varieties is as much about feed quality as it is about harvest date, establishing following crops, soil health or environmental benefits.

All are important, but most notable in terms of the direct impact on the performance of his high-yielding Holstein Friesian herd, is the fact that he knows he is maximising the digestibility of starch from the day he opens his maize silage clamp.

Jono Mock is in the process of expanding his Devon based herd of high yielding Holstein Friesians from 180 to 220 cows.

That’s particularly important for his forage-based dairy system, where maize typically makes up fifty percent of the dry matter of the herd’s ration.

“I remember times when our maize harvest would be later, and we’d often be opening the clamp before the crop was fully fermented,” he says. “The silage would go right through the cows, and we knew we were not making the most of the forage. Now, we’re able to keep the clamp closed for at least four weeks after harvest, possibly longer, and it makes a big difference.”

Farming at Bircham Farm, Burrington, Jono is in the process of expanding from 180 up to 220 cows next year, with a new rapid exit parlour due to come online early in 2025. The farm is in mid-tier Countryside Stewardship, which includes the SW5 Enhanced Management of Maize Crops option. Amongst the requirements are that the crop is harvested before 1st October, and that a cover crop is drilled within two weeks.

Very early varieties that have helped the farm to successfully achieve these objectives in recent years have included Limagrain’s Pinnacle, Ambition and Dignity, and for the last two years he has grown Skipper.

“I first saw Skipper at one of Limagrain’s pre-harvest trial days and it really stood out,” recalls Jono. “We pre-ordered it there and then, and it performed extremely well in 2023, yielding up to 21 tonnes/acre.

This year has been more challenging, with overall yields being nearer to 17 tonnes/acre, but we’ve still harvested a fully mature crop before the end of September and we’re very pleased with the quality.”

Maize makes up 50% of the dry matter of the herd’s ration, with LG Skipper being used to ensure the crop is harvested before 1st Oct

Milk yields currently average around 9,000 litres from a ration of maize and grass silage, with a blend also fed to provide nutritional balance. Going forward, cows will receive supplementary feeding in the parlour, on a feed-to-yield basis, and Jono expects yields to rise.

Calving all year round, the herd is typically at grass for five months during which time quality grass and white clover leys play an important part. Long-term dual-purpose leys, such as the LG Sinclair McGill Castlehill mixture, are integral to both grazing and silage output.

Since growing cover crops after maize, Jono has noted a definite improvement in soil health. He usually grows Humbolt forage rye, though has also grown an Italian ryegrass this year. “We take the cover crop as an early silage cut, around the first week of April, and this ground will either go back into maize or into grass,” he adds.

At Bircham Farm, creating the optimum seedbed is one of the main priorities when growing maize, to ensure the best soil-to-seed contact.

“It does take time to prepare a good seedbed, and often it will mean two passes with the power harrow,” says Jono, “but it’s not an area where we want to take shortcuts.”

Selecting maize varieties which are very early maturing ensures the crop is fully fermented before the clamp is opened.

Drilling typically takes place at the end of April, or the first week of May, but like so many in the cold and wet spring and early summer of 2024, this year it was as late as mid-May. A contractor drills the maize, with an available phosphate source applied in the seedbed. The ground at Bircham Farm is relatively clean, but a pre-emergence herbicide is used if possible, as well as a post-emergence spray as a routine.

Support from Limagrain’s Graham Parnell has proven invaluable over the years, according to Jono, both in terms of variety selection and also in forecasting optimum harvest dates. Maize is most certainly a cornerstone of milk production at Bircham Farm, and is only likely to become more important as the herd expands. Another very early variety, Duke, new to the Descriptive List for 2025, is now on Jono’s radar: noted for its high starch content and good digestibility, it has all the attributes to suit his system.

“We had a five-year period operating organically, when it was just too difficult to grow maize, and we really missed it,” Jono concludes. “We wouldn’t be without it in our current set up and, because we are growing within an agreement where an early harvest and post-harvest cover cropping are essential, I believe we are making the best of the crop by using early varieties.”

Learn more about our high performance maize varieties here or contact your usual seed merchant for availability

Download the Maize Variety Selection Guide here

Early maturing maize allows Somerset farmer to improve soil health and earn an SFI payment from cover cropping.

Growing 800 acres of Gema allows Jon Bult to produce a high yielding, energy dense crop of maize to feed his 700 dairy cows. As an early maturing variety, Gema also enables him to prioritise soil health by establishing overwinter cover crops in maize stubbles.

Jon Bult, Somerset Farmer

“We’re on heavy ground; some of which is marginal for maize, so it makes sense to use the earliest maturing varieties,” Jon says. “Gema is ideal as it delivers high starch, but its earliness does not impact yield. “We grow Italian ryegrass after maize and can establish this even in late October. In the past, we’ve established grass with light cultivations but have had to work deeper due to the recent wetter conditions.”

As a cover crop after maize, Italian ryegrass qualifies for the Sustainable Farming Incentive action SOH4, which is currently worth £203/ha, although Jon believes the greater value is the improvement of soil health. “Minimising soil erosion and nutrient losses is the main priority. We terminate the cover crop in spring and apply manure and slurry before drilling maize. I aim to sow maize around 20th April, but recent cold, wet springs has pushed this back to 14th May. We’ll be growing Gema again in 2025, as its early harvest suits our system well”.

With a second consecutive maize harvest significantly hampered by another wet autumn, growers should choose wisely to ensure their 2025 crop is ready to be harvested in good time.

That’s the advice from Tim Richmond, Maize Manager for Limagrain Field Seeds UK and Ireland, who explains that growers no longer have to sacrifice yield or crop quality in order to secure an early harvest.

“Maize breeding programmes have advanced significantly in recent years, with modern varieties such as Gema, Dignity and Skipper enabling growers to produce a high yielding crop in a shorter growing season,” Tim explains.

An early maturing variety like Duke can mitigate wet weather risks according to Limagrain’s Tim Richmond.

“Likewise, Duke – the latest ‘very early’ variety to come out of Limagrain’s extensive UK testing programme – also offers a significant improvement in terms of earliness of maturity, yield and quality in favourable and less favourable maize growing regions.”

Despite being one of the earliest maturity varieties on the 2024-25 BSPB/NIAB Descriptive List, Duke (which has an FAO of 140) delivers an exceptional dry matter yield of 18.1t/ha and combines this with very high quality.

“In fact, its starch yield of 6.96t/ha is the highest of all varieties on the Less Favourable list, and the highest of all Very Early varieties on the Favourable list,” Tim explains.

“Duke also has superior feed value thanks to its improved cell wall digestibility which increases its ME yield – something that is unusual for such an early variety. It also has good potential as a crimping or grain variety, and, thanks to its very early vigour and good standing ability, is less likely to be impacted by another wet year as it can be drilled later in the spring but will still be ready to harvest in good time.

“And, should the 2025 maize harvest be hampered by another bout of wet weather, Duke’s excellent disease resistance and stay green genetics will ensure it’s still in premium condition even if harvesting is delayed.”

Cover cropping and SFI potential

As well as enabling growers to exploit optimum harvesting conditions, Duke’s very early maturity also gives growers more time to establish a following crop.

Limagrain’s extensive testing and screening programme assesses all new varieties in UK conditions.

“Planting a winter cover crop after maize is now the recommended best practice, as it delivers important soil health benefits, but can also allow growers to access additional payments through the Sus­tainable Farming Incentive (SFI),” Tim continues.

“Italian Ryegrass and Westerwolds are proving popular as winter cover crops after maize, as are forage rye varieties such as Humbolt which performs well in most scenarios.”

Undersowing maize with a companion crop is another potential SFI payment opportunity, and it has the added benefit of ensuring the cover crop is already established when the maize comes off. “Undersowing does however need access to the right equipment and must be done at the correct timing to avoid the risk of affecting the primary crop’s performance,” Tim says.

“Alternatively, a multi-species cover crop such as Limagrain’s Lift n Fix combination of forage rye and common vetch will provide the ideal combination of a crop that mops up residual nutrients whilst fixing nitrogen for future cropping rotations.”

Further technical info and data

Learn more about our high performance maize varieties here or contact your usual seed merchant for availability

Download the Maize Variety Selection Guide here

Two new maize varieties from Limagrain’s robust and extensive UK screening and testing programme have been added to the 2024-25 BSPB/NIAB Descriptive List; Duke (FAO 150) and Promise (FAO 180) offer significant advancements in yield and quality to farmers in both favourable and less favourable growing areas and have potential beyond forage for alternative uses including crimping and grain.

For a variety with such early maturity, Duke has exceptional dry matter yield (18.1 t/ha) and combines this with very high quality. Its starch yield is the highest of all varieties on the Less Favourable list (6.96 t/ha) and the highest of all Very Early varieties on the Favourable list. Duke also has superior cell wall digestibility for such an early variety, and its high ME yield increases its feed value potential. Agronomically, Duke shows very early vigour and has good standing ability; it also has good resistance to eyespot and strong stay-green characteristics.

Tim Richmond, Maize Product Manager

“Duke will have broad appeal for farmers across the maize growing spectrum,” says Tim Richmond, Maize Manager for Limagrain Field Seeds UK and Ireland. “It is a first choice variety on both the Favourable and Less Favourable lists, having performed consistently in trials and demonstrated an ability to produce outstanding yields of very high quality forage in a short growing season. Its very early maturity gives many growers the opportunity to drill later and still harvest in good time, exploiting optimum conditions and allowing time to establish a range of following crops. With good early grain yields, Duke offers some growers the potential for crimping or grain production.”

Promise Maize from LG

Promise has the highest dry matter yield of all varieties in the Early category on the latest list for Favourable sites (19.6 t/ha) and is very high yielding on the list for Less Favourable sites (19.4 t/ha). It has good cell wall digestibility, high rumen starch degradability and high overall ME yields. Like Duke, Promise has strong agronomic traits, with very good early vigour and standing ability, and good stay-green characteristics.

“For farmers looking to fill their clamps with high energy maize, well within a safe harvest window, the high yielding and early maturing Promise will be a very good option,” adds Tim Richmond. “Given its combination of yield and high energy, this variety also has potential for AD, and its earliness also makes it a candidate for crimping or grain.”

Underlining the continuing strength of its UK maize breeding programme, Limagrain is also highlighting the variety Harmony, which is scheduled to be available for the 2026 growing season. Another early maturing variety, trials data is showing Harmony to be very high yielding with outstanding starch and ME, very good early vigour and strong standing ability.

BRAND NEW MAIZE VARIETY SELECTION GUIDE

Limagrain have just released their 2025 Maize Variety selection Guide for forage maize, grain and AD. The guide includes data on the new varieties added to the 2025 BSPB/NIAB Descriptive Lists for Forage
Maize and Anaerobic Digestion, allowing comparison to those already established in the market.

Click the image to download your copy, or email emily.savage@limagrain.co.uk for a hard copy.

Maximising the milk produced from homegrown feed is the overriding aim for Cornish dairy farmer Richard Martin, not least because it is his surest route to profit.

With 1,000 high yielding cows on an autumn block calving system at Trethick Farm near Bodmin, Richard Martin relies on maize as the major energy source in the herd’s total mixed ration, with it making up 75% of the forage component during the period of peak lactation.

Achieving consistent yields of the highest quality maize, within a safe harvest window, is imperative, and this is being achieved by managing the crop expertly from seedbed to clamp and by choosing high ranking varieties, now mainly in the ‘very early’ maturity class.

“We’re constantly looking at ways to fine tune our maize growing practice, through a combination of better management and ensuring we are using the best available varieties for our purpose,” says Richard.

“Most importantly, we’re growing maize as part of an overall system on the farm, so that it’s fully integrated with everything else that we’re doing.

“We’re rationalising the number of varieties we grow, down from as many as nine in any season to perhaps only three or four in the future. We’re growing 475 acres of maize and have three separate clamps, so ideally, we want three blocks reaching optimum maturity in turn across a manageable harvest period of two to three weeks.”

In 2023, which Richard ranks as one of the better years for growing maize in recent times, harvest started on 20^th September and was completed by the first day of October, with crops averaging a fresh weight of approximately 15 tonnes/acre at 30% dry matter and 30% starch. In line with a policy of seeking out the best new varieties, Limagrain’s very early maturating variety, Foxtrot, was recommended to Richard and supplied by Graham Ragg of Mole Valley Farmers, and made a very successful debut on the farm, ‘ticking all the boxes’ for Richard.

“In the last ten years we’ve brought the maize harvest forward by two to three weeks, through the way we manage the crop and by selecting earlier maturing varieties. Very early varieties such as Foxtrot allow us more time, in better conditions, to establish a following crop.”

Maize rarely follows maize at Trethick Farm, but – on the rare occasions that it does – a cover crop is always drilled into the stubble: “Maize usually follows a cereal, or sometimes grass, but if we do have to grow maize after maize then we’ll sow a cover crop like mustard or forage rape,” Richard explains. “The latter gives us the option to graze over winter, but the most important factor is to ensure we avoid the risks of bare soils.”

Whether following a cereal, grass or a cover crop, the policy is always to plough before drilling, and every maize field is soil tested in good time.

“I see maize as a reset for the land, so we check the fertility and pH of every field and apply plenty of organic matter by spreading muck and slurry,” adds Richard. “The soil analysis will determine what fertiliser, if any, we apply. There’s absolutely no point in routinely applying fertiliser if it’s not required, and we’re finding our ground is high in organic matter, with Ps and Ks often up at 4.

“By soil sampling and tailoring our soil nutrients accordingly, we’ve cut our use of DAP down the spout by half, with no detriment to crop performance.”

After ploughing, the typical approach is a deep cultivation pass with a Sumo Trio before power harrowing, and then using a drill mounted on a power harrow which ensures the fineness of seedbed that Richard feels is increasingly important.

“In the past two years we’ve moved to using pre-emergence herbicides as a routine, partly because the chemistry available for later spraying is less robust. The pre-ems are more effective with a finer seedbed, we find.

“Whether or not we apply any nitrogen will depend on the season. It’s now more of a tactical application if and when needed, rather than a routine, as we don’t want to waste resources where they aren’t needed.

“With modern varieties we don’t see the need for an eyespot spray, so really it’s then a case of monitoring the crop closely and being ready for harvest.”

Given the high feed rates for maize, Richard is not looking to take the crop too dry, so his target is 30% dry matter and 30% starch. To maximise the feed value of the ensiled crop, he pays close attention to ensuring the crop is properly consolidated in the clamp to optimise fermentation and preservation.

With maize silage providing the bulk of the herd’s energy requirements, cows are yielding a lactation average of 9,000 litres from twice daily milking, with high milk solids of 4.4% butterfat and 3.6% protein. The only feed bought-in to supplement the farm’s homegrown forages and cereals is a protein blend.

“We’re not feeding any concentrates in the parlour, and just use one mix across the board for all the milking herd,” says Richard.

“From a peak of 75%, the maize will come down to nearer 50% of the forage ration by the spring. We’re an early turn-out farm, so cows are usually going out to graze by day from mid-to-late February and will receive their TMR at night. By June and July, we’ll have a large part of the herd dry.”

Moving forward, Richard remains focused on continuing to improve production from homegrown feed, and that means becoming even better at growing maize. New varieties with improved digestibility like Foxtrot are an important part of the progress, but so are innovations in management.

“We’ll continue to challenge the way we grow our maize to seek marginal gains,” Richard concludes. “We’re trialling foliar applications of trace elements, for example, and may in future look at things like different seed rates. There’s always room for improvement with what is such an integral part of our system.”

A bumper 2023 maize crop looks set to eliminate any future risks of running short of a key forage for one high yielding Dorset dairy herd.

According to Robert Symms, who farms with his wife Bryony and son Jake at Batsons Farm, near Sherborne, growing a slightly increased maize acreage and opting for a top-ranked very early maturing variety should ensure the availability of important carryover silage stocks come the autumn of 2024.

“We’re estimating that we’ve clamped around 2,800 tonnes of maize this year, from 143 acres, so pretty much 20 tonnes/acre,” Robert reports. “That should mean we’ll have enough to last until Christmas 2024, so we can maintain a consistent ration all year round and avoid the issues of previous years when we’ve run short of maize before the new crop is fully fermented.”

Batsons Farm has evolved significantly over the last decade or so, firstly converting to a fully housed operation around 10 years ago, and in the last 12 months moving over to robotic milking. Over this period, a forage ration comprising approximately 60% maize and 40% grass silage has become established, fed as part of a total mixed ration through a forage wagon and underpinning yields that are now pushing up towards 12,500 litres/cow.

The herd currently numbers 220 milking cows, with Robert conscious of the danger of any shortfall in maize production. He therefore turned to his seed supplier, Tim Rutter of Pearce Seeds, for advice on how to boost maize output.

“Based on the fact that we needed more yield, but still wanted a mature crop harvested before the end of September, Tim recommended Dignity from Limagrain,” Robert adds. “As a new variety, it had performed very well in Pearce Seeds’ own local trials and had all the attributes we were looking for.

“It was £10 a pack more than some of the other alternatives, but it has certainly performed for us, and I can now say it has been well worth the extra investment.”

Maize is usually drilled at Batsons Farm during the first week of May, and 2023 was no exception. It follows an over-winter cover crop of westerwold ryegrass, which provides a bonus cut of forage in early April and helps avoid the risks of bare ground during the wetter months.

“The cover crop will have had slurry on it in March and we apply farmyard manure after we’ve taken the cut of silage,” says Robert. “We then plough in the ryegrass stubble and prepare the ground for drilling with one or two passes with the power harrow. The maize is drilled by our contractor and goes in with one hundredweight to the acre of DAP down the spout. We’ve never seen the benefit of top dressing with any additional nitrogen fertiliser, so it’s simply a case of then allowing our agronomist to advise on herbicides, but our crops are generally pretty clean.”

In what has been a favourable year for growing maize in Dorset, the Dignity has performed exceptionally well,

maturing in good time for harvest before the end of September and yielding an impressive 20 tonnes/acre. Early sampling of the fresh, unfermented crop, taken from the clamp, revealed a dry matter of 34% and an ME of 11.2 MJ/kg, with starch at 28.6%. By the end of November, the fermented crop was analysed at 39.3% DM and 39.0% starch, with an ME of 11.96 MJ/kg. The ensiled crop was also shown to have a high percentage of fast digesting fibre and a low content of non-digestible fibre, both of which will ensure the crop feeds well and is easily assimilated in the rumen.

According to the farm’s nutritionist Vicky Ham, of Kite Consulting, forage budgeting that will, in future, allow the new maize to remain untouched for two or three months will be beneficial to overall herd performance.

“At Batsons Farm, the maize offers vital energy and a safe source of starch and is the foundation for the milkers and dry cow rations. We aim to feed a ratio of 60:40 maize to grass silage but can only do this with adequate silage stocks and fully fermented maize silage.

“When stocks run short, as we’ve seen this year and in previous years, there’s a risk of upsetting the rumen balance, and feeding the maize before the starch is at its most digestible equates to lost production potential.

“With the increased stocks resulting from the improved 2023 harvest with LG Dignity, we’re in a much better position from a forage budgeting perspective. Next year the new-season maize should remain untouched for two to three months after clamping and that will mean we’re maximising its value in the ration.”

With regards to the grass silage component of the ration, the Symms have moved towards a multi-cut system in recent years, starting early and taking as many as five or even six cuts a season, to maximise silage quality.

With input again from Pearce Seeds, they are now looking at four-to-five-year leys, with the addition of very large leaf white clover, which will not only boost the protein value of the grass silage but could also help to secure additional payments through the new Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.