Crops Forum

Join us on Thursday, 10 September at 2pm for the Teagasc Crops Forum which is taking place in the Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, W12 T925. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Protecting Margins Through Smart Crop Planning’.

Click here to register to attend!

Despite appearances, 2026 will go down as a challenging year for tillage farmers. Good harvest weather masked rising input costs, disappointing yields and squeezed margins.  The temptation next season is to “roll the dice” again and hope for better weather. This year’s Teagasc Crops Forum tackles a different approach: practical agronomy and planning to protect your bottom line. 

Join us for focused presentations on variety choice, rotation planning and in-season crop management, including BYDV control and grassweed strategies. We’ll also look at alternative management options, from using organic manures to different establishment systems, and how logistics and season-long decisions can reduce costs and risk. The forum closes with a panel of experts who will discuss small, practical changes tillage farmers can make now to improve yields and preserve margins in the years ahead. 

Key takeaways: 

• Actionable crop planning and variety decisions for 2026/27 
• Practical pest, weed and disease control to protect yields 
• Alternative management and cost-saving measures to defend margins

Forum Agenda

2pm
Session One

Opening Address
Dr Stan Lalor, Director of Knowledge Transfer, Teagasc 

Project Launch – Soil Cycle Project 

• Soil Cycle – introduction
  Ciaran Collins – Project leader 
• Utilising organic manures in a farming system
  Andy O’Donnell, Tillage Farmer, Kilkenny
  
• Matching logistics will minimise costs
  Sean Og McCormack – Project Advisor
  
• Why EIP’s are important
  DAFM Speaker
  
• Questions and answers session

Find out more about the Soil Cycle project here

2:35pm
Session Two – Selecting and Protecting Your Crop

Chaired by Dr. Ewen Mullins, Teagasc  

• Varieties for 2026/27
  Cara Mac Aodháin  – Crop Policy, Evaluation and Certification Division, DAFM
  
• BYDV control in winter cereals
  Dr. Louise McNamara, Teagasc
  
• Importance of pre-emerge herbicides
  Dr. Vijaya Bhaskar, Teagasc
• Questions and answers session

3:15pm
Session 3 – Protecting Margins Through Better Planning

Chaired by Michael Hennessy, Teagasc  

• Farmer returns – what can we learn for the future
  Dr. Fiona Thorne, Teagasc
  
• Can an alternative establishment system return more profitability
  Jack Jameson, Teagasc
  
• Scenario building on crop planning
  Shay Phelan, Teagasc
• Crops Forum – Panel Discussion
  • Davy Keogh, Wexford tillage farmer
  • Shay Phelan, Teagasc
  • Dr. Fiona Thorne, Teagasc
  • Philip O’Connor, IFAC