Opportunities for Maize in 2026

The 2025 season brought a very dry spring and a hot, dry summer, causing drought and major maize yield losses (20–50%+) across much of the UK.

Livestock farms dependent on maize and already short of grass silage will face forage shortages by spring 2026, driving higher demand for maize in 2026/27.

In contrast, northern and marginal regions such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Tyne–Tees, and parts of southwest Scotland saw excellent maize performance, especially from very early Limagrain varieties. Strong results are expected to encourage continued maize growing in these areas, where early, high-performing varieties are expanding opportunities and often provide better feed value than wholecrop wheat.

Mainstream varieties for higher yields

For growers in more favourable regions looking to maximise yield and forage quality, two standout varieties from Limagrain are Promise and LG Highlight.

LG Highlight – Expected to join the 2027 list, LG Highlight offers:

Early maturity (similar to Prospect)
Very high starch and cell wall digestibility
A significant improvement in dry matter yield
8–10 t/ha dry grain yield
8–10% lower harvest moisture than many current market varieties
Attractive orange/yellow grain, ideal for animal feed markets

Proven drought tolerance, carrying the Hydraneo badge, indicating enhanced stay-green characteristics and performance under moisture stress. These varieties present excellent opportunities for farmers aiming to replenish forage reserves and improve ration quality in 2026.

Growing maize as a cash crop

In eastern arable regions, maize is increasingly being grown as a profitable cash crop, either for forage, for sale to livestock units, or for anaerobic digestion (AD). Droughted AD units from 2025 are expected to have depleted buffer stocks, and new green gas biomethane units supported by government schemes are creating further demand. For arable units short of land or seeking rotational benefits, partnerships with livestock producers also present opportunities. 

Grain maize opportunities

A growing area of interest is grain maize, supported by new breeding progress that enables earlier dry-down and reduced drying costs. One notable development is which has shown outstanding performance across three years of grain maize trials: Lower grain moisture directly reduces energy and drying costs, improving profitability. Grain maize also offers rotational benefits, including:

Opportunities for blackgrass and problem-weed control

Timely establishment of winter wheat following a September harvest
Valuable residue incorporation, contributing to soil organic matter

Summary

The 2026 season presents strong opportunities for both livestock and arable farmers:

Growers in mainstream areas can maximise output with high-yield, high-quality varieties such as LG Highlight and Promise.

Arable farmers have expanding opportunities to grow maize as a cash crop for forage, AD, or grain, with varieties like LG31.160 offering excellent grain potential and lower drying costs.

With high demand for homegrown forage and expanding AD capacity, maize cropping in 2026 is expected to increase significantly, supported by a strong pipeline of innovative, high-performance Limagrain varieties.

You can view all our maize varieties and the rest of our product portfolio in our brand new Nickerson Seed Book – click to download!