Tillage Farmers

Don Somers, Munroe, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

Don farms collaboratively with his uncle James Somers sharing both machinery and labour resources. The main enterprise is winter and spring cereal production. All fields destined for spring crops will have non brassica covers crop mixes established in August. Trading FYM for straw/use of dairy processing sludge to replace a proportion of crops N, P & K. Crops are established via non inversion with a tined cultivator. Explore other establishment systems such as direct drilling on reducing carbon emissions and improving soil health. Local Advisor is John Pettit.

John Crowley, Ferns, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

John is a spring crop grower focusing mainly on spring malting barley production. Each field on the farm destined for spring cropping will have green cover established. Establishment of a catch crop demo to show the effect of sowing date on green cover development. Three sowing dates to be used which will include Aug 15, Sep 1 and Sep 15. Various cover crop species to be drilled to demonstrate the performance of each. Organic fertilisers will be imported onto the farm and used pre ploughing for both winter and spring crops. Local Advisor is Ciaran Hickey.

Tom Tierney, Ballinaghfagh, Prosperous, Co. Kildare

Tom farms 165Ha of owned and long term leased land in partnership with his neighbour Gordon. The farm participates in GLAS using the options; cover cropping, minimum tillage and wild bird cover. His main enterprises are winter and spring cereals, winter oilseed rape, spring beans, wild bird cover and forestry. This farm business has been practicing direct drilling for a number of years. A diverse crop rotation is used to counter-act the challenges of the weather, grass weeds and the diversity of soils ranging from heavy clay to peat. Local Advisor is Ivan Whitten.

Vincent Macken, Brownstown, Navan, Co. Meath

Vincent farms owned and rented land. He also farms collaboratively with a neighbour sharing both machinery and labour. The main enterprise is winter and spring crops. Price volatility and input costs are their main challenges. A full farm fertiliser plan will be completed annually in advance of application to use applied nutrients efficiently and optimise soil fertility. Plans are in place to tailor fertiliser N programmes to utilise N efficiently based on soil N supply, weather conditions and crop requirements at key timings. Local Advisor is Shane Kennedy.

Will Stokes, Kilsheelan, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary

Will farms in partnership with his father Patrick. Main enterprise is winter & spring cereal production with a potato & drystock enterprise. Some of the main challenges are price volatility & increasing input costs. A green cover will be established on all fields that will be planted to spring crops. Organic manure produced on the holding from the drystock enterprise, along with imported pig slurry will be targeted at lower P & K index fields. Fertiliser nitrogen application are based on crop requirements, soil nitrogen supply and weather & soil conditions at key timings during growing season.

Tom Barry

Tom farms in Killavullen outside Mallow in Co Cork. The 280Ha tillage farm is spread over a number farms in the North Cork area, from Castlelyons to Ballyclough. His home farm is located in the centre of the townland of Monanimy. He farms a mix of crops including, winter barley, winter wheat, spring barley, spring oats & forestry. He is a former sugar beet grower & had a stable rotation of sugar beet & cereals. Following the beet factory closure continuous winter wheat & winter barley became his dominant crops. Due to problematic grass weeds he now includes Winter Beans as a break crop