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Threatening scarcity makes maize financially interesting
Grain prices have risen sharply due to the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia. Ukraine is an important grain producer, but part of the harvest may be lost due to the war.
Unfortunately, this is already reflected in the sharply increased concentrate prices in a short period of time. This also has an impact on the prices for grain maize. As a raw material for animal feed, maize plays a very important role, causing a tense situation in the market for animal feed raw materials and a huge increase in prices on the trade fairs.
Seed for summer grain no longer available
The sharp rise in prices for grains has already meant that seed for sowing summer grains is no longer available. In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to grow beet profitably and renting land for potato cultivation is very problematic. In addition, many fields where winter grain has been sown are not in very good condition due to excessive precipitation. In addition, the high nitrogen prices affect many crops. The cost price of the cultivation of grains is becoming too high as a result of high purchase prices for mineral fertilizers. As a result of the heavy rainfall in the past period, many grain parcels are also only in poor condition, so that the yield will in any case be disappointing or the crop will be plowed under.
Plenty of options for grain maize
The reasons mentioned above force growers to look for alternatives. Corn maize is therefore now, more than ever, a financially very interesting crop to grow. The prices for grain maize were already high last season. The financial returns per hectare for grain maize were among the best results of the past ten years. Prices are expected to rise much further this season. Corn is a very simple crop. In this way a very good yield is achieved without many expensive mineral fertilizers. Maize, in combination with a small starting dose of mineral fertilizers in the row, makes optimal use of animal manure. Weed control and integration into the building plan is also simple. In addition, the sowing and harvesting activities can easily be outsourced.
Choose varieties that mature in time in the grain to limit drying costs
The balance from grain maize is determined by the grain yield, but also by the drying costs. Or rather: the lowest possible drying costs, which is a crucial part of the balance given current energy prices. There are also farmers who would like to supply Alco Bio Fuel at the beginning of the harvest period in order to enjoy the higher prices that are paid at that time in the season. They also need ripe maize varieties in the grain for this. Having or not having extra drying costs makes the difference between a very well-stocked sandwich when growing grain maize or not.
KWS invests a great deal of time and money into research into maize varieties, of which research and practice in Belgium and the Netherlands have shown with certainty that they ripen in the grain in time. This is also reflected in the trial field results. For example, the GIULIO (FAO 190), MEGUSTO (FAO 220) and GENIALIS (FAO 230) varieties combine a timely ripe grain with a high grain yield and excellent agricultural properties. This makes these varieties ideally suited for harvesting as dry grain maize. Due to its precocity, GIULIO is very suitable for companies in the Northern Netherlands and Western Belgium. MEGUSTO and GENIALIS are best sown in the rest of the Netherlands and Belgium.
The high grain maize prices are a big boost and make the returns on most fields more than excellent. This is the reason for many growers this year to opt for easy cultivation such as grain maize. Would you like more information about the cultivation of grain maize or about the most suitable maize variety? Please contact your regional KWS advisor or look at our website.
