Is It Time To Ban Maize

[Lazy Sod]

Given the soil structure damage caused by maize harvesting in a wet season and the soil erosion during the following winter months, is it time to consider banning maize growing? Discuss.

 

[Exfarmer]

I hope you have a handy Nuclear grade bomb shelter
if I can join you, I am rather tempted to agree.
I posted many years ago that silage maize was asking for a lot of problems in a wet back end. Certainly it should not be grown on a land with any degree of slope.
of course contour growing would help.
It would certainly cause a lot of problems for the AD plants.

 

[averageguy54]

This could prove interesting. I'm inclined to agree with getting rid of it.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Id say firstly try to get some more effort into no till maize. Will help no end

 

[WA29]

Incredible thing to say. Perhaps its time to start pushing more early maturing variety's and getting the crop off in (hopefully) drier conditions, inter row seeding, planting a crop right behind the harvester and trying to limit damage within the harvest process etc. But if this is open for debate for a 'ban' why don't you include all roots in the title and we will all sit back and watch a Sunday blood bath unfold

 

[Derrick Hughes]

What about spuds and winter harvest vedge . Uncle Tom Cobly, Oh yes someone also said boxing after last night

Sugar Beet

I bet its a grain farmers idea too pick on little old maize

Forgot carrots

 

[Bald Rick]

Ffs don’t give this government any more ideas

 

[Campani]

Earlier varieties
No more annual back to back maize.
Undersowing with grass.

If these solutions we put in, I think there would be a huge improvement.

 

[jackrussell101]

I've always thought maize is fine to grow... so long as it's on someone else's land...

 

[Derrick Hughes]

1

 

[wanton dwarf]

No.

The UK is a wet climate. We all know it's going to be colder, wetter, hotter and windier at times.

Stop moaning and get on with the job.

Rather than pulling agriculture to bits .. ask pertinent questions about why our dear Environment Agency hasn't been recycling waste correctly .. including plastic burnt & thrown in the sea.

Tax payers pay about £2000 per household in council tax for what amounts to a fortnightly bin collection - for which they can be fined as well - hold these idiots to account.

Same for sewerage .. why are resources not recycled.

Same for water - why are human turds floating in flood water ? why are flood defences not in existence but £6 million for wading birds is just fine and dandy.

Why do we have planning laws which inhibit green houses but whole valleys in Spain & Portugal are full of glass & plastic - for the goods to be imported into the UK.

 

[Deerefarmer]

Since when did banning something solve a problem?

 

[BAC]

Potatoes.... outwintering.... beet ground..... all create the same problems but doubt that would be banned

 

[Exfarmer]

It is a situation which is asking for trouble. Roots will also be an issue ,but we do have to eat, which cannot be said of the majority of Maize growing going into AD plants.
Maize was mooted and heavily promoted in the 60's . In 1968 we had locally crops being harvested using Moxeys to get it off the fields as nothing else could. This killed the crop for several years except for a few growers on very light land.
I agree that it is an excellent feed and break crop and would be a terrible shame if it was banned, but growers are going to have to refine techniques to banish the damage to the subsoil and run off of the top soil

 

[som farmer]

maize is an excellent forage crop
but, it is expensive to grow, seriously damages soil structure, drives locals mad, if wet at harvesting
the biggest problem is we grow maize on slopes, which leads to soil erosion etc.
Add to that, by spreading shite on the field, with ascotiated ruts, mess, you can see why people want to ban it.
the next problem will be the decreasing options of chemicals to use. And the dreaded carbon foot print is not good

 

[DRC]

So those of us growing maize will grow what to replace it?
oh yes, more wheat and barley. Shoot yourselves in the foot lads .

 

[Suffolk Serf]

What is all this with banning something just because it causes a few problems?
The answer is to find ways to solve the problems, be it maize, winter harvested root vegetables or outdoor pigs.

 

[Princess Pooper]

@som farmer hit the nail on the head with one word.... slopes.

This, combined with autumn harvesting (as opposed to late summer for cereals) is the issue. Plus as maize tends to be grown in livestock areas, slurry.

 

[teslacoils]

If the banned it, how about banning imported maize too?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Why not just ban farming all together then it’ll keep the majority of people happy