As the maize planting season approaches, the decision to select early-maturing varieties becomes increasingly critical for dairy farmers, especially considering the challenges presented by recent weather variability.
To effectively manage harvest timing, soil health, and forage quality, choosing the right variety can significantly impact yield performance.
The traditional approach to maize variety selection often focuses on maximising yield, but Agrii’s Ben Lowe says that maturity is now the primary risk management factor.
He highlights that extreme weather events over the past few seasons, two exceptionally wet years followed by a drought, have exposed the vulnerability of later maturing varieties, particularly in relation to harvest timing.
“When we talk about early maturing varieties, we’re no longer just focusing on speed,” Ben explains.
“The goal is to ensure the maize is harvested on time, preventing potential field damage from late rains or compromised soil conditions, while maintaining yield potential.”
View maize maturity as a strategic decision
For dairy farms, maize harvest must fit within a busy schedule that includes slurry spreading, reseeding, grass management, and contractor availability.
This complexity makes early maturing varieties essential, as they allow farmers to complete the harvest within a window that supports rotational management and avoids delays.
A variety such as FORTTUNO (FAO 190) provides an optimal balance between early maturity and robust yield potential.
Ben emphasises that early maturing varieties no longer carry an inherent yield penalty.
"The genetic improvements in early varieties now allow them to perform similarly to later maturing types, with high dry matter and starch content," he says.
FORTTUNO, with its early vigour and stable yield performance, provides a solid choice for dairy systems seeking to optimise both energy density and harvest timing.
Yield and starch density
A common misconception is that early-maturing varieties necessarily yield less starch or dry matter. However, Ben points out that modern breeding has allowed for better dry matter-to-starch conversion, reducing the gap between early and late maturing varieties in terms of energy output.
FORTTUNO exemplifies this with its ability to generate high dry matter yields without compromising on starch content, critical for the energy density required in dairy rations. The strategic benefit of FORTTUNO lies in its ability to provide reliable yields under less-than-ideal conditions, such as those seen in drought-prone years. Its starch yield per hectare remains stable even in challenging conditions, ensuring that energy density remains consistent, regardless of the overall biomass yield.
Catch crops and early harvesting synergies
One of the emerging strategies on dairy farms is the incorporation of catch crops between maize cycles. Ben notes that a growing number of dairy farmers are planting fast-growing crops like forage rye after maize harvest to boost forage availability during winter months.
Early varieties such as FORTTUNO facilitate this by providing an earlier harvest window, allowing farmers to introduce catch crops without impacting maize performance, a practice he encourages growers to consider for 2026.
This system not only improves soil health by reducing the time soil is left bare but also optimises the farm’s forage production, filling gaps in the feeding calendar.
"By selecting an early maturing variety like FORTTUNO, dairy farmers can efficiently fit catch crop systems into their rotations," Ben adds
The role of MOVANNA in maximising biomass yield
For growers in the anaerobic digestion (AD) sector, maize varieties are selected for their ability to produce high-quality biomass that delivers reliable energy yields. With the growing demand for energy from biogas, choosing the right maize variety is a crucial decision that can affect both efficiency and feedstock quality. Stable starch content is also critical for optimising the AD process, as it directly influences methane yield.
DSV’s Sarah Hawthorne says MOVANNA, with an FAO of 210, excels in this area by delivering high biomass yields while maintaining consistent starch levels, ensuring efficient energy conversion during digestion.
“MOVANNA offers a balanced combination of biomass volume and starch yield, ensuring that the feedstock maintains energy density for efficient digestion.
“MOVANNA is versatile and adaptable, performing well across a wide range of soil types and growing conditions.
“It’s resilience and early vigour ensure good establishment, even in less-than-ideal weather conditions, making it a reliable option for AD operations,” she says.
Adaptability and flexibility in AD systems
For AD systems looking to optimise energy production from maize, MOVANNA provides a reliable option that delivers both the yield and the starch consistency necessary for high-efficiency digestion. Its agronomic traits, robust disease resistance and stress tolerance ensure consistent biomass yields.