Sales of Nescio forage maize seed for sowing this spring are well ahead of expectations say Nickerson; the company that markets the LG range of varieties in this country. With two thirds of the UK availability already sold, seed stocks are likely to run out well before drilling.
With yields around 55t/ha fresh, Nescio is one of the highest yielding varieties, and like all LG maizes, has been bred to provide a mix of energy sources in the silage. Starch in the grains, and soluble sugars and digestible fibre in the leaf and stem, all contribute to the crop's overall feeding value.
"At last it seems that farmers are picking up on the fact that starch is not the be all and end all, of maize grown to feed cows," comments Peter Schofield, marketing manager for the LG varieties. "Cows eat the whole plant, not just the cob, so it makes sense to grow varieties that have been bred with this in mind. The French breeders have been producing varieties from dedicated forage breeding lines for over twenty years now."
The LG maizes also perform consistently well across the UK, in good growing years and bad. Data from NIAB trials prove this, with very little variation in LG yields from north to south, east to west. Conversely, older varieties show much greater variation between sites and also even newer varieties show quite big yield differences, depending on where they are grown.
"Many growers are relying increasingly on maize," says Mr Schofield. "Some want to feed a greater proportion in the winter diet, others want to feed it for a longer period. Some of the newer varieties may be a little higher yielding than Nescio, but their performance can fluctuate from year to year, or from site to site.
"This can be unnerving for farmers who need to know their maize crop will produce enough high quality forage to see them through. LG varieties are the most reliable you can grow, and farmers seem to be recognising the importance of this."
