John Collins,
Farm Manager, Cappoquin Estate
Location: Cappoquin, Co. Waterford
John Collins, is a working farm manager at Cappoquin Estate, managing the arable operation with one part time staff member. The Cappoquin tillage farm encompasses 233 hectares in four blocks over a radius of 10 km. The soil type is medium, with winter wheat, winter barley, oilseed rape, and oats as the main crops.
Farm Description:
| Breakdown of land use on the Cappoquin Estate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cropping | Approx area 2015 | Av. yields 2013-2015 |
| Winter wheat | 102 ha | 10.22t/ha |
| Winter barley | 35 ha | 10.41t/ha |
| W Oilseed Rape | 40 ha | 4.4t/ha |
John is an avid participant of precision farming and has some of the best complied and detailed farm records going back to the early 1990. John is using yield monitoring for over twenty years and has used a detailed soils map to vary fertiliser applications. However, more recently his extensive use of organic manures has increased yields and improved soils on the farm. John uses the Yara N-Sensor to vary the rate of nitrogen applications and even out any excesses areas of organic manures which could lead to lodging.
Teagasc Advisor: Eamonn Lynch