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Maize – A Crop with Growing Potential in Southern Scotland - SAC Reports on Crichton Experience

SAC News Release Ref. No: 11N13
Published: 26 Jan 2011

Maize crop (opens in new window)

With Maize fast becoming one of southern Scotland’s “traditional” crops, SAC is offering farmers the chance to hear about the latest developments at an event held at Crichton Royal Farm Dumfries on Tuesday 8th February. While in many of the warmer parts of the world corn on the cob is harvested for its grain, in Scotland the whole plant is used for animal feed. According to Hugh McClymont, SAC Crichton Royal Farm Manager.

“Forage Maize, with its starch content and good dry matter is an ideal energy ration when fed to cattle. We had a particularly good crop last year and the dairy herd results show the benefit from its feeding value”.

With over 2000 acres of maize now grown in Dumfriesshire and extensive planting in Galloway and Ayrshire there is a lot of local experience of maize growing. The SAC organised event, sponsored by seed companies Grainseed and Limagrain, offers an opportunity to exchange that information. For SAC Hugh McClymont will explain the results of both the commercial crop grown at Crichton and field trials of new varieties. Neil Groom (Grainseed) and John Heaphy (Limagrain) will detail other trial work and discuss future plans.

“Last Spring we had to delay our maize sowing because a of a special grassland event hosted early in the year”, said Hugh McClymont. “I then ploughed a lot of the grass in, sowed the maize and had excellent results. I was one of the last in the area to harvest the crop because of that late sowing but the patience paid off. Many of us now have enough experience of growing maize in this area to make decisions based on the kind of local knowledge we can pass on at events like the Open Day”.

The Crichton event begins at 11.00 am and finishes at 1.30 pm with lunch provide. To help with catering arrangements those planning to attend should contact SAC at 01387 264890 or e mail hugh.mclymont@sac.co.uk.

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News Release Contacts

SAC Contact

Mr Hugh McClymont
Farm Manager, Crichton Royal Farm
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, Crichton Royal Farm, Glencaple Road,
Dumfries
DG1 4AS
TelWork 01387 264890
MobileWork 07979 245905
Fax 01387 266754

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News Release Issued By

Mr Ken Rundle
Senior Communications Officer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4196

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