Welcome to the first EVER Nickerson Seed Book!

Click to download your copy of the new guide!

For the very first time, you’ll find our entire range brought together in one place – Cereals, Pulses, Oilseed Rape, Maize, Circle Leys grass mixtures, plus our specialist Forage and Environmental seeds. A full catalogue designed to give you clarity, choice, and confidence when it comes to your seed decisions.

Nickerson are the Original Seed Specialists. For over 75 years, we’ve supplied seed and advice to British farmers – trusted by generations because we understand the job, the challenges, and what it takes to grow a successful crop. Our history gives us provenance. Our experience gives you peace of mind. When you choose Nickerson, you are not just buying seed – you are investing in a partnership.

That partnership is delivered through our nationwide team of Nickerson Seed Specialists. These are not simply salespeople – they are experts, practical thinkers, and trusted advisors. They know farming, they know seed, and they take the time to understand your business. Their role is simple: to help you make the best choice for every field, every season.

We are proud of our heritage, but we never stand still.

Farming is changing – new pressures, new opportunities, new demands on every hectare. Our job is to make sure you have the right seed, the right advice, and the right support to meet those challenges head-on.

This brochure is designed to help you do exactly that. It brings our portfolio together in one clear guide – from high-yielding cereals and resilient oilseed rape to productive maize, proven grass mixtures, and targeted environmental options. Every product has been selected, tested, and supported by Nickerson, so you can choose with confidence.

Quality seed. Trusted advice. Unmatched service. That has been our promise for over 75 years – and it remains our promise today.

Take a look at our 2026 Seed Book today.

Harvesting maize at the correct maturity is crucial for ensuring optimal yield, quality, and nutritional value.

Harvesting too early can lead to underdeveloped grain, lower starch and excess effluent, whilst waiting too long may result in losses of feed value, digestibility and palatability. With the very challenging conditions this year, assessing crop maturity is crucial for optimising quality. Below are some important points to consider:

Understand the Importance of Maturity

Maize maturity directly impacts its starch content, moisture levels, and overall quality. For silage, harvesting at the right stage ensures the best fermentation and feed value. For grain maize, the crop needs to reach a moisture content of 25-35% (DM of 65-75%), before being combined. The crop must be left longer in the field to dry down, to ensure maximum yield and storability.

Key Indicators of Maize Maturity

2. – Kernel Milk Line

The milk line is a visual indicator of kernel maturity. It appears as a dividing line between the starchy and milky parts of the kernel. As the maize matures, this line moves from the top of the kernel toward the base. Harvest for silage is ideal when the milk line is about two-thirds to three-quarters down the kernel for silage. For grain maize, wait until the milk line disappears entirely, indicating full maturity.

1. – Black Layer Formation

The black layer is a small, dark spot that forms at the base of the kernel when it reaches physiological maturity. This is a sign that the maize has stopped accumulating dry matter. For grain maize, this is the ideal time to harvest, as the moisture content will have dropped to around 25-35%.

1. – Cob and Husk Appearance

Cob Colour: Mature cobs often turn from green to a reddish or brownish hue.

Husk Texture: The husks will feel dry and papery when the maize is ready for harvest.

Kernel Hardness: Mature kernels are firm and dented, with no milky liquid when pressed.

Field Observations

Uniformity: Check multiple plants across the field to ensure uniform maturity. Variability in planting dates or soil conditions can lead to uneven ripening, especially in a year such as this

Plant Health: Look for signs of disease or pest damage, as these can affect the timing of harvest. Early harvesting may be necessary in cases of severe infestation.

Timing Tips

Weather Considerations: Wet or cold growing seasons, like the one experienced in 2024, can delay maturity. Be patient and monitor the crop closely.

Harvest Window: For silage, aim to harvest within a narrow window to maintain quality. For grain maize, allow time for natural drying in the field, but avoid leaving it too long to prevent losses from lodging or pests.

Tools to Assist

LG Maize Manager App. This app is free to download and walks you through step by step to gauge plant maturity in the field.  Download the LG Maize Manager App here

Visual Guides: Use charts or photos of maize at different stages of maturity to compare with your crop.

Expert Advice: Consult your local Nickerson Seed Specialist who can provide tailored advice based on your region and crop conditions.

By combining visual cues, moisture measurements, and field observations, you can make informed decisions to maximize your yield and quality.

When growing maize for grain, it is important to understand all the characteristics and possible limitations of your soil. Weather patterns and varietal choice are also key to ensuring you have a crop that is going to reach its full potential at harvest.

As a grower you consider the best site, the correct establishment method and the most appropriate varieties for your conditions. The portfolio of Limagrain varieties have been bred to be adaptable. As Nickerson seed specialists, we are well versed in the characteristics and growth habits of individual varieties within the Limagrain stable, making us best placed to advise on suitability.

Varieties for grain maize recommended by Nickerson include LG30.179, Ambition, Promise, Prospect and our new variety LG31.160. These are all rated highly in terms of standing, disease resistance and all-important yield.

The newest grain maize variety I have to offer on farm is LG31.160. With good yields of 9.2 t/ha @ 15% moisture and reduced harvest moisture content of 24.6 % means drying costs can be lower, compared to previous varieties that are harvested wetter.

Harvesting later than forage maize, due to the time required for the grain to dry down as much as possible, can lead to combining maize in worse conditions. Having a cob that dries down rapidly without losing yield or quality is crucial. This is where LG31.160 excels with its rapid dry down characteristic.

Selecting the right site is crucial. Maize is a crop that favours sheltered locations with a south-facing aspect which will allow for earlier drilling and will maintain soil temperatures for longer in early spring. With maize being a crop so reliant on heat units, it is imperative to give the crop the best chance, given the UK’s unpredictable weather patterns.

Sheltered fields offer higher retention of heat units in the canopy as well as reduced chance of lodging. The recommended maximum altitude for maize is 1,000 feet (300m) above sea level.

Maize favours sandy/

sandy loam soils, a well aerated soil structure and no compaction. Clay soils hold water and can be slow to warm up. However, maize can be grown on soils with a clay content of up to 25% if earlier drilling is achieved.

Chalk is unsuitable due to slow warm up in the spring and can reflect sunlight. However, chalk downland soils can support maize if soil depth is sufficient. Poorly aerated soils will limit root formation and can cause premature crop senescence.

Grain Maize should be drilled at a lower seed rate, around 35,000 to 37,500 seeds per acre, compared to forage maize which should be grown at around 42,000 seeds per acre. This gives more space per plant, allowing cobs to increase in size due to increased sunlight penetration into the lower canopy of each plant.

I always look forward to the Southwest Dairy event at the Bath and West showground, not only is it an opportunity to catch up with customers new and old but it is also a chance for everyone involved in the industry to come together and talk with one another. It is a time for farmers to show their cattle and the challenging work and care that goes into these animals.

I have been attending this event since I was young, and although the site and exhibitors remain similar, the show has definitely evolved! That goes for the seed industry as well. Varieties, regardless of species have moved on so much in the past decade, with the number of different varieties and mixtures on the market currently coupled with the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) I appreciate it can seem unclear. That is where we step in to help you. Whether it is advice on the constantly changing and adapting Single Farm Incentive; deciding when to cut your maize; grass reseeding and catch crop options to name but a few, we can help you with here at Nickerson.

Simply give us a call or come along to our stand at the Dairy event, you can find us in the Edmond Rack building on stand 177, feel free to pick our brains over a cup of something!  We are also proudly celebrating the 75^th anniversary of our Circle Ley grass seed brand by giving you the chance to win 75 acres worth of grass seed with every eligible grass seed order – see your local Nickerson rep for more details!