Huge yields are forecast for this 12 months’s maize crop and farmers should plan and put together to capitalise on this to guard its high quality at harvest.

That is in keeping with seed and silage inoculants gross sales supervisor at world agricultural chemical firm Corteva’s UK department, Andy Stainthorpe.

Stainthorpe mentioned utilizing the proper additive when harvesting maize is “crucial to its success within the clamp”.

“With a report acreage of maize sown within the UK this 12 months, the potential beneficial properties from producing and preserving this high-quality homegrown feed for the winter forward are larger than ever,” he mentioned.

Andy Stainthorpe. Supply: Corteva

“The 2023 nationwide maize crop is estimated to be round 250,000ha, up 20,000 from final 12 months. Figures from our PACTS trials over the past 20 years present a median contemporary weight yield of round 48t/ha.”

Stainthorpe mentioned, ultimately 12 months’s buying and selling worth of £60/t, the potential worth of this 12 months’s 12 million tonne crop stands at greater than £725 million.

“We additionally know from our trials essentially the most worthwhile starch or grain part averages slightly underneath 8t/ha (at 15% moisture), with a corresponding worth of £487 million,” he mentioned.

Corteva described these statistics as “eye-watering figures” and inspired farmers to concentrate on how essential it’s to make sure the diet of maize is retained as a lot as potential proper up till is reaches the feed barrier.

“Choosing the proper silage inoculant to do that depends upon how your maize goes for use,” Stainthorpe mentioned.

“Silage for high-performing dairy cows must be shielded from cardio spoilage and have good digestibility.

“And with sowing in lots of areas later this 12 months, harvest can also be prone to be later, and there’s an elevated danger of spoilage organisms infesting the standing crop.

“Investing in defending your maize silage this 12 months makes good enterprise sense. One small step taken at harvest is one big leap in your silage high quality all winter lengthy.”