As the new year starts, Spring plantings will be just around the corner, and Maize drilling will come around quickly.  

As planning commences, it is an ideal time to start thinking about options and what you want to achieve from your maize crop.  

Starting from the soil up, site selection is the first place to look. Maize needs an optimal pH of 6.8, good topsoil and drilled into a soil temperature of at least 8 degrees.  

Once a site has been selected, varietal choice is the next key part. Varieties can be chosen for key characteristics, based on the final requirements.  

We have picked out key characteristics from our varieties below: 

 Augustus 

• Rapid early vigour 

• Bold cobs 

• Suitable for short season production 

Reason  

• Suitable for marginal sites 

• Good CWD value 

• Quick to establish  

Picker 

• Suited to difficult sites or late sowing 

• Good cob ripeness  

• Tall erect plant 

Artikus 

• High kernel content 

• Suits an early harvest  

• Good ME content 

Yukon 

• An early grain options 

• Proven reliability  

• High in starch  

Remington 

• Wide leaves on a bulky plant 

• Good resistance to lodging 

• Early starch lay down in the cob 

Autens  

• Good early vigour  

• High DM content 

• High grain content for added starch  

Equity 

• Can be grown on most sites  

• Good early vigour  

• Produces digestible silage 

Lovely 

• High starch and ME content  

• Good lodging resistance  

• Quick to establish  

Ballade 

• Suited to a range of sites 

• Consistent performance 

• Provides good DM yields 

P7034 

• Fast ruminal starch degradability  

• Early to flower 

• Can be clamped last and fed first  

P7326 

• Produces a tall plant for its maturity  

• High rumen degradable starch  

• Grows well on less favourable sites 

Emblem 

• Good standing power 

• Produces a digestible forage 

• Early cob maturity  

Legolas 

• High yield potential  

• Stay green factor extends harvest window 

• Good resistance to lodging