Changes to Maize management improves water quality and soil health in Sussex

Maize growers in Sussex have kept 100 metric tonnes of soil out of local rivers thanks to funding provided by South East Water.

Working with the Maize Growers Association, funding provided by South East Water supported a small group of farmers to trial inter-row grass and post-harvest grass with their maize crop between 2020 and 2024. The growing of maize can impact the raw water in catchment areas, due to soil erosion causing turbidity issues in rivers and reservoirs.

Maize growing has been identified as a particular risk in South East Water’s Sussex surface water catchments. This is due to the wide row spacing needed to grow the crop leaving large areas of bare soil, along with its late harvesting, which means fields are often left bare over winter.

Michael Parsons, Catchment Advisor at South East Water, said: “One of the key issues we are tackling in the river Ouse, Cuckmere and Wallers Haven catchments is turbidity (water cloudiness) which can impact raw water coming into our water treatment works. This has a knock-on effect on both the environment and on our water treatment process.

“Inter-row grass has been proven to be one of the most impactful measures across our catchment schemes for improving water quality. Our analysis, undertaken by AtkinsRealis, shows that the changes made to maize management by the farmers has resulted in the prevention of 100 metric tonnes of soil entering rivers between 2020 and 2024. This is a true testament to the impact catchment management measures can have on farms, the environment and water quality. Given the success of these trials, we will continue our work with maize growers in the region, supporting them to make management changes which will help their business as well as the environment.”

Farmers sowed inter-row grass or post-harvest grass to reduce the runoff from the crop, supported by grants from the drinking-only water company of between £125 - £185 per hectare, per year.

Chris Appleton, Dairy farmer near Eastbourne in West Sussex, said: “South East Water has supported us for a number of years through both field management schemes and capital grants. We’ve been really pleased with the support we’ve received, which has helped us make practical changes to our farming practices while protecting soil and water quality. It’s encouraging to see the positive impact these measures are having on our local rivers.”

Jon Myhill, Technical Lead at the Maize Growers Association, said: “This work shows what's possible when growers, water companies and technical bodies work together. Inter-row and post-harvest grass are practical, low disruption changes that fit within existing maize systems, and the results speak for themselves. We'd like to see more catchment schemes offering this kind of support, because it's a genuine win for water quality and for farm business resilience.”

Over the last five decades there has been a steady increase in the popularity of growing maize, with records showing 274,000 hectares were planted in 2024, compared with just 8,000 in 1973. Mainly used for animal feed and biogas fuel, it accounts for around six per cent of croppable area in the UK.

Farmers interested in finding out more about the support South East Water can provide can email catchment@southeastwater.co.uk(opens in a new tab)