Use of maize in the Nordic and Baltic countries

Maize is a major crop world-wide that has during the last decades has had a dramatical northern expansion. In the Nordic and Baltic countries, a successful maize forage production is now expected to latitudes to at least 58°N. At higher latitudes maturation of the maize crop is often limited by the short growing season with relatively low temperatures and long photoperiods. Most of the maize in the Nordic countries is grown for whole-crop silage. A minor proportion is though harvested as grain in Denmark, Lithuania and Sweden. Most of the maize silage is utilised by dairy cows, but both beef cattle and sheep are also fed the feed, which may also be used as a substrate for biogas production. Cultivation of maize in the Nordic and Baltic countries is here to stay and the present northern limit may expand further north due to climate change in combination with the development of earlier hybrids.