Archive article: 1997/09/12 - farmers weekly

12 SEPTEMBER 1997 ------------------------- _Forage maize harvest is progressing night and day as warm, dry weather sees maturity advancing quickly._ _Contractors arrived at WJ and FJ

Hadleys 98ha (240-acre) Home Farm, Colne Engaine, Essex, to cut 10ha (26 acres) at 8pm. Bill Hadley says that grain had hardened on the very early Jannus maize and contractors found a slot

to harvest the crop between combining wheat and before moving onto larger maize crops further north in East Anglia. At PR and AM Smiths 118ha (290-acre) Meadow Farm, West Stow, Suffolk,

maize yields are expected to be slightly lower this year at about 25t/ha (10t/acre). "While low rainfall here on our light soil has limited green growth, cobs were hard and ready for

harvest so we had to cut now to maximise quality," says maize grower Peter Smith. Although the grain is fit, there is still a lot of moisture in the stem._