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Most maize crops were harvested successfully in 2023, but some growers were caught out by the sudden arrival of heavy rain in October. For those growers whose crops were not harvested before the wet weather arrived, harvesting was hampered by waterlogged conditions and, in the very worst cases, a small area of crops went unharvested.

Farming on heavy clay land at 550 feet means James Wooldridge of Crosspark Farm, North Devon, is constantly fighting against time and the weather to get his arable and maize crops drilled and harvested successfully, with appropriate variety selection critical to his crops’ performance.

Following Brexit, the future of UK maize crops has been in jeopardy due to an impending change in law which would make it illegal to use any seed treatments not registered in the UK. However, an industry-wide political campaign – spearheaded by Limagrain – has secured the availability of three vital bird repellent, fungicide and insecticide treatments.