Archive Article: 1999/04/23

23 April 1999

Whats up doc?… David Smolden, Fullabrook Farm, Umberleigh, north Devon, takes the soil temperature in his maize field. He hopes to drill LG 21.85 maize in early May for feeding his 50 dairy cows next winter. Cows average 5800 litres on a low-cost production system, with maize fed as 40% of the forage in winter.

Thats a-mazing… High yielding maize varieties were drilled on trial plots under plastic at CEDAR, Reading University, this week. IP Europes Neil Overton says putting maize under plastic allows drilling to take place two to three weeks early. The plant is protected from frost and soil is warmed by the plastic allowing higher yielding varieties to be grown or earlier harvest.