LG Typhoon is top performer in Leicestershire

The first year of growing LG Typhoon proved to be a resounding success for Leicestershire farm and contracting business, F J Garner & Sons.

The variety out-yielded other wheats on the farm by around 25%, and produced a good grain sample, with big, bold grains, despite very challenging growing conditions throughout much of the year.

Extending to 420 ha of land, plus another 120 ha of contracting for neighbours, across a mixture of soil types, the farm tried 9.3 ha of LG Typhoon last year on the recommendation of seed merchant, Saxon Agriculture, explains Peter Garner.

“We like to stay one step ahead of the curve by growing new varieties, otherwise there is a risk you get left behind. It was only one field last year, so wasn’t a particularly big gamble.”

But it was a decision that paid off, after the crop, which followed oilseed rape and received biosolids prior to being direct drilled on 20 September, yielded an average of 11.4 t/ha, well above all other varieties grown last season.

“The crop was initially a bit slow to get going last autumn, but once it did, it started to look good, then very good in the spring.

“By harvest, the LG Typhoon yielded really well. I did see 16 t/ha at one point on the combine yield monitor, and certainly many parts of the field were typically doing 11-14 t/ha. Inevitably, the headlands did pull down the overall average slightly.

“It’s not the highest yield we’ve ever had, but in a year where everything else was yielding nearer 7-9.2 t/ha, it was head and shoulders above the rest.”

The crop produced a good grain sample too, with a thousand grain weight of 53 g; the highest of all wheat varieties grown last season, Mr Garner adds.

Disease-wise, it stayed clean throughout the growing season and looked a good colour in the spring, he notes.

Following the strong performance in 2023/24, the farm is growing LG Typhoon again for the coming season and plans to sow another 20 ha this autumn, which will be direct drilled around the third week of September, weather permitting.