Relentless heatwaves have baked the UK, depleting soil moisture reserves meaning the country's forage crops are struggling under the pressure. This is raising urgent questions about winter feed stocks and highlighting the need for timely action.

According to the latest AHDB grass growth data, grass yields are running 32% below the average for the same period between 2017 and 2023.

"Most of the country has endured wave after wave of extreme heat this season," says Simon Pope, crop protection manager at Wynnstay. "That's had a direct impact on grass and maize performance. Where rainfall has been scarce, we're seeing real concern about forage shortfalls heading into winter."

Maize has suffered in many areas of the country. Some early-sown crops that were drilled into well cultivated seedbeds have developed adequate root systems to find moisture at depth in the soil. Late drilled crops, or those mauled into poor seed beds, have been less fortunate and poor root development has resulted in severe drought stress.

"This season has really emphasised the value of attention to detail at every stage of maize growing," adds Dr Pope. "It's not too late to think about crop nutrition; around 30% of the plant's total nitrogen requirement occurs during the demanding period of cob-fill."

A well-timed foliar application of slow release protected urea, like N Durance 28, at the start of tasselling can provide essential nitrogen to fuel cob development. This can be further enhanced by including a fungicide to protect against eyespot, and biostimulants to encourage additional growth. This approach has already delivered strong results in commercial crops across the country.

With lower than expected yields for both grass and maize, and forage stocks likely to fall short of winter requirements, minimising losses becomes even more critical. Achieving an efficient fermentation at harvest is key, and this can be significantly improved by using the right silage additive at harvest, notes Dr Pope.

Ecosyl, an additive for grass silage, has been shown in trials to reduce dry matter losses by up to 50%, improve digestibility (D) by an average of two D units, and increase milk yields by 1.2 litres/cow per day. Based on one tonne of silage feeding 25 cows, an extra 1.2 litres/cow equates to an additional 30 litres of milk produced per tonne of silage.

"High UV light levels can kill off the natural population of bacteria in grass that would otherwise carry out fermentation. Ecosyl leaves fermentation less open to chance by applying one million 'good' bacteria per gramme of forage treated," adds Dr Pope.

Similarly, it's important to preserve maize with a high-quality additive - especially when grass silage is in short supply. In situations where grass forage is short, reducing dry matter losses and maintaining the nutritional quality of maize silage is crucial.

One option to help preserve maize is Ecocool by Volac, which contains beneficial bacteria that address two key issues in maize silage - poor fermentation and the heat generated by yeasts and moulds. Trials have shown that Ecocool can help keep maize cool for up to 10 days after opening the clamp, helping to maintain its energy and feed value during storage and feed out.

To support producers, Wynnstay is offering an early order incentive: For every 11 packs of Ecosyl or Ecocool purchased before 15 September 2025, the 12^th pack is free of charge.

Editors' notes

Wynnstay Group PLC is a major supplier of livestock feed and nutrition products, supplying both compound and blended feeds.

The Wynnstay teams are committed to offering a range of technical services, at no additional cost, to enable customers to grow and develop their businesses with performance driven results.

For more information visit: https://www.wynnstay.co.uk