Maize is a domesticated form of a wild grass first cultivated over 5,000 years ago in tropical Mexico that produces an adaptable and productive grain. It has been inextricably linked with the rise of the South American civilizations and following their conquest by the Spanish, it was exported around the world. It was introduced to the UK in the early part of the twentieth century but only as a forage crop.

Today the bulk of maize production occurs in the US, China and Brazil. In the more northerly climates like that of the UK where there is generally insufficient summer warmth to ripen the crop, maize is grown largely for forage where it has become an important crop in its own right.

Whilst it is has been accepted that the UK climate is barely warm enough to grow maize for grain, earlier maturing varieties and rising summer temperatures have renewed interest in the crop. In the last few years around 2500 hectares have been grown annually, mostly in the far south of the country.

From an economic viewpoint growing the crop is also becoming more attractive. There is a strong demand for grain maize in the UK (over 1.25 million tonnes annually) and prices typically carry a £40 per tonne premium over milling wheat. In a decoupled environment this makes the margin available from grain maize, relatively competitive.

Maize is a versatile crop producing a range of products. Easily recognisable are sweet corn, corn flakes and pop corn. Less well appreciated are its uses in flours that can be consumed directly (often in subsistence farming systems), in tortilla and throughout the food processing industry. Maize also finds its way in various forms into animal feed rations and is industrially processed for the production of starches, syrups and alcohol.

A successful grain maize crop will yield 10 tonnes per hectare and be harvested in a dry spell in November. Wet conditions will delay harvest but yields and quality will generally remain robust.