Maize maturity is the new risk management.

After a run of wildly different seasons, maize variety choice is no longer a straight yield chase. Agrii’s Ben Lowe says maturity is about protecting harvest timeliness, soil and starch per hectare.

Two wet seasons that tested travelability, followed by a drought year where soil moisture and high temperatures bit into output, have left dairy growers trying to juggle every outcome at once.

Mr Lowe, national forage product manager for Agrii says that swing has pushed more farmers towards early and ultra-early material to ensure harvest is done in good condition, protect soil profiles and keep rotations moving.

However, the dry year has also sparked discussion about “easing maturity back” to boost yield, but he urges growers to not get overambitious.

“Going with an early variety, you are safeguarding, no matter what is thrown at you,” he says, pointing out that between drilling and harvest, a lot can change.

Start with harvest risk, not the brochure headline

Mr Lowe’s first principle is to work backwards from the farm’s harvest window. Early maturity is not about being first for the sake of it, but about reducing the chance of being forced onto fields when conditions are marginal or delaying drilling and establishment of whatever comes next.

“That is particularly relevant on dairy farms where maize harvest has to fit around slurry, reseeds, grass management and contractor availability," he adds, pointing out that early harvest also helps when fields are needed back in good order for follow-on crops.

Early does not have to mean a yield penalty

A persistent barrier, he feels, is perception. “Growers often assume early varieties carry an inevitable yield compromise.”

In his view, some of that is driven by the way trial results are interpreted.

“With the UK market now demanding earlier genetics and breeders delivering more performance in those maturity bands, the data needs to reflect commercial harvest targets more closely.”

He points to the issue of early varieties being harvested in trials at higher dry matter than many farms would aim for, which can exaggerate the impression of a yield penalty on paper.

In response, he says the BSPB group is looking at how trials are harvested so results are more relevant, referencing a move towards harvesting dry matter closer to 32–34 rather than 40%.

From the breeder side, Andrew Cook, maize product manager at KWS, says moves have already been made in the breeding space by testing more varieties across more sites than ever before, to make selection more robust.

“For growers wanting a big early silage option, for example, KWS Pasco has been proven over a number of years to combine strong real-world dry matter performance with starch and energy output.

“It’s positioned as an early variety (FAO 170/180) for those chasing both high-quality forage and overall yield, with suitability also noted for corn cob mixes, higher TMR inclusions and high-starch silage.

“Where the priority is for an ultra-early variety that suits shorter seasons and tricky sites, KWS Leto is proven to get moving quickly, with strong early vigour and a real focus on starch.

“It’s described as the ‘short season champion’ (FAO 160), and it’s particularly well suited to diets below 50% maize inclusion and situations where late sowing or an early harvest is on the cards.”

Starch per hectare

Mr Lowe says the breeding goal is no longer simply “earlier” or “higher yielding”, but earlier maturity that still packs energy into the clamp.

“Dairy farmers are being pushed to manage harvest risk and soil conditions more tightly, so starch per hectare is the metric that really matters.

“If we can increase starch density without forcing growers into later harvest dates, that is where the gains are."

Adding that in seasons where drought or wet harvest conditions trim total tonnes, varieties that hold starch performance help protect ration consistency.

“You can’t control the weather, but you can choose genetics that protect starch content and feed value when conditions squeeze the crop.”

He warns that high dry matter yield can mask a lower starch output if the crop is carrying more plant material behind the cob.

“Starch percentage is a percentage of the overall crop, and so the quality is diluted.

“Instead, look for varieties that repeatedly show both yield potential and starch performance.

“If the season conditions knock tonnage, you still want whatever you harvest to be as energy dense as possible.”

Early varieties provide opportunity for valuable catch crops

One of the biggest shifts Agrii's Ben Lowe is seeing is greater uptake of catch crops between maize, driven by forage shortages.

"More growers are now harvesting maize, drilling a catch crop – often Italians or forage rye, taking it off at the end of April, then going back into maize in late April or early May," he says.

“That system has two strategic benefits for dairy systems. First, it plugs the “dead” window from October to spring, when maize stubbles can otherwise sit bare for five to six months.

“It’s a massive opportunity missed, both environmentally and from a soil health perspective, with soils leaching nutrients and microbiology going dormant.

“Secondly, it can create a practical buffer feed to protect summer grazing. Many farms know they should be having more buffers but feel they are hemmed in by the rotation, when the extra forage could be being grown over winter.”

On species choice, he favours reliability. Where growers “nine times out of 10” reach for Westerwolds as the cheapest option, he often sees disappointment, either from establishment or feed value, and then the idea gets shelved.

“For most, my recommendation is conventional forage rye, because it never switches off, is out of the ground within four to five days and can deliver a significant cut by late April.

“You could quite easily be pulling 10 to 12 tonnes of forage off per acre at the end of April,” he says, stressing the goal is not a sacrificial cover crop."

Crucially, he says, once a farm commits to taking a spring cut off a catch crop, the system has already set up shorter growing window for maize.

“The stage is already set to utilise an earlier variety because drilling is shifted to get the best from the catch crop."