Livestock farmers battle bad weather to bring in maize

Livestock farmers are facing significant challenges with this year’s maize harvest due to poor weather conditions and the late sowing of crops.

The combination of excessive rainfall, difficult ground conditions, and a less-than-ideal growing season is creating a tough situation for many.

Difficult ground conditions following very excessive rainfall in September are also making the job harder because tractors and trailers are getting stuck in fields.

See also: Busy maize harvest expected with acreage up

Cleaning mud off agricultural vehicles prior to going onto a public highway and keeping roads clear is adding to the busy workload.

David Christensen, who farms 950 crossbred dairy cows across two units in Oxfordshire, said he had completed his maize harvest on one farm and is hoping there will be a weather window to complete it on the second farm next week.

“Notwithstanding the recent excessive wet weather, in many cases, the maize harvest is delayed this year by the fact the crop was sown later in the season to start with and it has not been the sunniest of summers either; it’s taking longer to ripen,” he explained.

Mr Christensen, who is based at Kingston Hill Farm, in Kingston Bagpuize, said he normally houses his cows in mid-October.

But this year they have been housed 10 days earlier with the accompanying cost implications for feed, bedding and slurry management.

Baby calves are reared outside, but would also have to be housed sooner than normal, he added.

Mr Christensen said the heavy rainfall had also filled slurry lagoons and many farmers were feeling anxious about getting these emptied before the slurry spreading closed period starts on 15 October for most soil types.

“This excessive wet weather takes its toll on our people and we need to recognise that,” he added.

Delayed harvest

Staffordshire dairy farmer David Brookes is still at least a week away from starting harvesting his 48ha of maize at Lower Loxley, near Uttoxeter.

Mr Brookes said the delay was due in part to the crop having been drilled in late May following a wet early spring.

“My maize crop is still at the ripening stage and my agronomist thinks it won’t be mature enough to harvest until 15 October at the earliest,” he added.

“The risk of mycotoxins from immature crops poses a significant threat to my winter feed supplies, making careful management crucial.

“Maize is such a vital part of my feed regime. I can’t afford to bring it into the clamp in an immature state that will adversely affect my winter feed stocks.”

SFI wildflowers switch

Berkshire farmer Colin Rayner said his decision to significantly reduce his maize acreage in favour of planting wildflowers under Defra’s Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme seems fortuitous, in light of the current conditions.

“We have put about half our farm into wildflowers in the SFI. We were lucky we got in before Defra introduced the 25% cap on this option,” he explained.

“For once, the weather gods have been on my side. We would have really struggled to harvest maize in these wet conditions.”