Forage maize continues to boom

摘要

Edward Long begins a review of new varieties with Forage maize. Rapid expansion of the forage maize crop is being matched by a continuous improvement in varieties being made available to dairy farmers. This is being backed by an increase in independent trials data to allow the right varieties to be chosen to suit individual needs and prevailing conditions. The crop was reintroduced to British farms in the late-60s after being grown in East Anglia and the southern counties during the Depression yearsof the 30s. After a tentative restart, the crop soon became established and expansion built on expansion with every year that passed. But the biggest boost came with the quota-driven need to cut input costs, and even the wet autumn of 1993 failed to dampen interest in forage maize and the area grown on English farms rocketed nearly 25% from 61,500ha to 76,600ha. The 1993 UK crop was over 70% greater than the 44,000ha grown two years previously.