Maize 2021 varieties

FIAT 450

FIAT 450

Well-Known Member
A guy from seedtec called to a neighbor last week about maize trails and varieties going forward. All social distance. Called over to hear him. He was saying plastic next year set to be close to 200e per ac and plastic used this year will no longer be available. I'd be a big fan of using plastic as a guarantee of having a ripe crop but at 200 for plastic things might have to change. Conversation turned to growing in the open very quick. He said they have a variety absolute (I think) that giving results of high 30s and low 40s for DM and starch, yeild would be back a couple of ton per ac but with lower sowing and spray costs plus not having to use plastic it be easier to grow a extra bit. Just wondering is anyone on here growing I the open and how results are stacking up. We used to grow I the open but at best it was only the same quality as second cut silage.
 
We used to have a 6 row accord drill for open sowing maize but was sold on as for the last few years it was only doing 15ac or so. Back around 2009 to 2012 i would have been sowing a couple of hundred ac in the open. As you say lads changed from the open sowing to plastic for a bit more certainty on quality. Even a couple of farmers sowing half under plastic and have in the open to see would they notice the difference and they did. There is some still sowing in the open locally. Some years they look good crops but others they can be very poor. The stalks always look very thin and grain yeild and cob size does be down considerably but still they always sow in the open so maybe the less cost is still winning.
 
Danielk said:
We used to have a 6 row accord drill for open sowing maize but was sold on as for the last few years it was only doing 15ac or so. Back around 2009 to 2012 i would have been sowing a couple of hundred ac in the open. As you say lads changed from the open sowing to plastic for a bit more certainty on quality. Even a couple of farmers sowing half under plastic and have in the open to see would they notice the difference and they did. There is some still sowing in the open locally. Some years they look good crops but others they can be very poor. The stalks always look very thin and grain yeild and cob size does be down considerably but still they always sow in the open so maybe the less cost is still winning.
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Fully agree with what you are saying. With the plastic gone up and I'd say they will go after spray next. Tis as expensive to grow a open crop and not ripen as it is a covered crop that matures right. But have the open varieties come on that much. The figures the man was saying to us you would want to be put in the nut house for going plastic
 
Maize is lazy rooter, if sowing in open fertiliser placement particularly P is so important. I’ve seen hungry maize under plastic too which I can’t understand
Plastic helps in cold spring but depends on area too?
 
Most of the issue in Ireland growing maize is choosing the wrong variety, along with soil not having high enough levels of Phosphorus. I cant see maize plastic been around in 5 yrs, when I dig soil that hasnt had maize in 10 yrs I still find bits of plastic. how much of these micro plastics have been taken up by the following crops. My best open crops of maize were sown with an ordinary grain drill with every coulter open.

Used clamp 1500 tons of maize, and wouldnt go back growing it if I was paid, Its a crop I dont think is suited to 99% of the country. Lots of farmers seem to just take the height as the indication if the crop is decent or not. I had a group of southern Maize growers look at my crop before harvest one year, Between them they agreed that is was a 25ton crop as it was a super growing year. Cut it within a week and it done 17ton over the weighbridge.

With late harvest your kinda pigeoned holed into what following crops you can grow. If your wanting to produce energy solely, you will buy grains much cheaper. In a mixed farming system in Ireland, we have the ability to grow super crops of Wheat for wholecrop, but Rye and any of the cereals will suffice. My last pit of spring barley wholecrop tested 30 starch/30 Dm which I would consider the same as maize. Usually no issues harvesting in July/August (compared to maize) and able to sow whatever you want after it
 
Would growers accept a reduced yield if it was reflected in a lower establishment cost, is cost per tonne a consideration or is it solely down to yield?
 
TAFKAT said:
Would growers accept a reduced yield if it was reflected in a lower establishment cost, is cost per tonne a consideration or is it solely down to yield?
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All depends on the cost of your acres. I used cost open maize at €500 that included everything (rent, sow, fert, cut), €725 I think for with plastic (extra herbicide pass, much more expensive to sow, along with plastic). but its over 6years I say since I grew an acre
 
Ozzy Scott said:
Most of the issue in Ireland growing maize is choosing the wrong variety, along with soil not having high enough levels of Phosphorus. I cant see maize plastic been around in 5 yrs, when I dig soil that hasnt had maize in 10 yrs I still find bits of plastic. how much of these micro plastics have been taken up by the following crops. My best open crops of maize were sown with an ordinary grain drill with every coulter open.

Used clamp 1500 tons of maize, and wouldnt go back growing it if I was paid, Its a crop I dont think is suited to 99% of the country. Lots of farmers seem to just take the height as the indication if the crop is decent or not. I had a group of southern Maize growers look at my crop before harvest one year, Between them they agreed that is was a 25ton crop as it was a super growing year. Cut it within a week and it done 17ton over the weighbridge.

With late harvest your kinda pigeoned holed into what following crops you can grow. If your wanting to produce energy solely, you will buy grains much cheaper. In a mixed farming system in Ireland, we have the ability to grow super crops of Wheat for wholecrop, but Rye and any of the cereals will suffice. My last pit of spring barley wholecrop tested 30 starch/30 Dm which I would consider the same as maize. Usually no issues harvesting in July/August (compared to maize) and able to sow whatever you want after it
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Ya would agree with you. Alot of guys that grow it are dairy farmers and tend to panic and cut it before it has fully matured. Have seen guys cut 2-3weeks before ourselves even doh was sown a couple of days apart. The amount of lost starch and DM by doing so is unreal and sugars running out of the back of the trailer.
You have to pay attention to the cob. If you cut the plant off the same point as the harvester and held the cob in one hand and the stem in the other the cob will be the same weight or heavier. The cob is where the energy and goodness is the stem is roughage. But like you said guys think a tall crop is better.
I'd find it hard to go away from maize too doh. Its a super feed for cows I find especially when buffer feeding at grass. Great for the stomachs and helps keeps grass in the cows.
We usually go ww after the maize here. Works well have never yet not been able to set ww in after it yet. But my concern would be if in the open it will take longer to mature would I be able to get the wheat in??..
 
The dept stopped trialling open varieties in 2015 I think as the market for them was too small but I think they are starting again. We rely on goldcrop and seed tech to keep trialling new ones. There used be a lot of good open varieties back the years, loft, avenir, hudson, anjou 209, beacon etc. Now a days it’s just ambition and Severus and maybe a small bit of kroft. They are all ok varieties but as the research has weaned a bit i think open maize yields have slipped as varieties seem to wear out. We are growing maize in the open since 1994 and had it under plastic in 2018 and 19 and at best the plastic paid for itself but definitely gave us no more of a return, we are on very favourable maize ground tho. Our usually Harvest date would be around the 12th/15th October so plenty times for wheat after that.
it’s only right that plastic will be banned but it will be a big loss to 70% of the country where open maize may not be an option.
wholecrop winter barley is totally under rated so that’s a very good option instead of maize.
As for the seed tech man claiming high 30’s to low 40’s for starch then I wouldn’t believe that for a second.
 
Ozzy Scott said:
Most of the issue in Ireland growing maize is choosing the wrong variety, along with soil not having high enough levels of Phosphorus. I cant see maize plastic been around in 5 yrs, when I dig soil that hasnt had maize in 10 yrs I still find bits of plastic. how much of these micro plastics have been taken up by the following crops. My best open crops of maize were sown with an ordinary grain drill with every coulter open.

Used clamp 1500 tons of maize, and wouldnt go back growing it if I was paid, Its a crop I dont think is suited to 99% of the country. Lots of farmers seem to just take the height as the indication if the crop is decent or not. I had a group of southern Maize growers look at my crop before harvest one year, Between them they agreed that is was a 25ton crop as it was a super growing year. Cut it within a week and it done 17ton over the weighbridge.

With late harvest your kinda pigeoned holed into what following crops you can grow. If your wanting to produce energy solely, you will buy grains much cheaper. In a mixed farming system in Ireland, we have the ability to grow super crops of Wheat for wholecrop, but Rye and any of the cereals will suffice. My last pit of spring barley wholecrop tested 30 starch/30 Dm which I would consider the same as maize. Usually no issues harvesting in July/August (compared to maize) and able to sow whatever you want after it
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Grew maize for a good few years, both under plastic and out in the open.. Would agree with everything @ozzy claims... Seen it all here too... Very variable crop with to much of a dependcy on the weather.
still ploughing up residue plastic from maize crops sown 15-20 years ago. Beet or wholecrop any day for me over maize..
 
Blackwater boy said:
The dept stopped trialling open varieties in 2015 I think as the market for them was too small but I think they are starting again. We rely on goldcrop and seed tech to keep trialling new ones. There used be a lot of good open varieties back the years, loft, avenir, hudson, anjou 209, beacon etc. Now a days it’s just ambition and Severus and maybe a small bit of kroft. They are all ok varieties but as the research has weaned a bit i think open maize yields have slipped as varieties seem to wear out. We are growing maize in the open since 1994 and had it under plastic in 2018 and 19 and at best the plastic paid for itself but definitely gave us no more of a return, we are on very favourable maize ground tho. Our usually Harvest date would be around the 12th/15th October so plenty times for wheat after that.
it’s only right that plastic will be banned but it will be a big loss to 70% of the country where open maize may not be an option.
wholecrop winter barley is totally under rated so that’s a very good option instead of maize.
As for the seed tech man claiming high 30’s to low 40’s for starch then I wouldn’t believe that for a second.
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Avenir was a dinger of a variety, and for some strange reason Justina used do very well here even given in FAO number. But I doubt my location was ideal but we used pick very sheltered fields with high P. Once you see maize in the open going purple your in big big trouble.

for 90% of the maize growers, I reckon they would be better off wholecropping a cereal. What screwed up that game, was the stupid price paid for wholecrop I think it was in 2018, it took allot of the regular stock farms that were buying wholecrop off cereal farmers year after year, out of the market
 
horsebox44 said:
Grew maize for a good few years, both under plastic and out in the open.. Would agree with everything @ozzy claims... Seen it all here too... Very variable crop with to much of a dependcy on the weather.
still ploughing up residue plastic from maize crops sown 15-20 years ago. Beet or wholecrop any day for me over maize..
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Early plastic makes were hard to get rid off that for sure. From next year maize can only be sown under plastic using a biodegradable one hence the extra cost. Even plastic for bales they recon will go 5e a bale!!. Beet is great feeding too but involves alot of work also
 
FIAT 450 said:
Early plastic makes were hard to get rid off that for sure. From next year maize can only be sown under plastic using a biodegradable one hence the extra cost. Even plastic for bales they recon will go 5e a bale!!. Beet is great feeding too but involves alot of work also
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Give euro a bale more for bale plastic?
 
FIAT 450 said:
That what he was saying. All plastic is going to take a hit next year I'd say. I thought 5e was abit steep now tbh. How many bales would you get from a roll?
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Infairness, he was making allot of wild claims so would take it with a pinch of salt
 
I t depends , on whether there is a shortage of quality forage or quality customers . Some are willing to buy by the " eye " and the acre which can work out alright . Most want to buy by the ton usually 55 + a ton but it takes very fertile ground to get over 20 ton fresh weight and its a very expensive crop to grow and any shortfall in yield will cost you any potential profit .
Beware travelling down the maize for sale road for there be dragons !!!!
 
Making a start on maize this evening. You couldn't get a better evening for sowing. Not a breath out. Got a bag of 10s out earlier. Urea out just in front of the powerharrow.
 

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The one part I hate about sowing maize. Covering ends and crossing the rows with clay
 

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