The national maize crop will increase by as much as 30% this year, according to merchants.
John Foley of Maize Tech, Bunclody, Co Wexford, said he’s “after running out of seed 10 times” and that he has “never seen the like of it”.
Foley described how drought-stressed farmers, particularly in dairy, and those in Northern Ireland (NI) and the southeast, have opted to plant maize as a means of securing fodder for the coming winter.
“There’s a lot of scarcity of grass all over the country. That’s the driving factor,” he said.
Foley highlighted that there are farmers still planting maize, which is usually in the ground by the end of May.
“The later you sow, the higher the risk of not getting the grains, but you’ll still have a big crop of maize, top-quality silage. The dry weather has had no impact whatsoever on maize crops,” he added.
Dave Barry of Goldcrop, Co Cork, predicted that the national maize crop will be up by about 20%.
“Last year’s figure was 15,600ha, so 20% on that,” he suggested; indicating a national crop for 2023 of some 18,720ha. “Maize crops get an advantage because fertiliser is put in the seedbed. For the most part, crops are doing well. They have that deep root system,” he described.
Plastic
The percentage of maize grown under film has also decreased further this year, according to merchants.
Foley estimates that 80% was sown under film this year, down from 85-90% last year. Barry suggested there could be as little as 60-65% under film in Cork.