Crops
Leading the Way in Sustainable Tillage: Tom Barry’s Environmental Journey - Part 1
Tom Barry, a tillage farmer from North Cork, who has recently been recognised with multiple environmental awards, joins The Tillage Edge for a two-part series sharing how he's implementing sustainable farming practices from using organic manures and reducing fertiliser use to enhancing biodiversity.
28 November 2024
Listen: What does a good rotation look like on your farm?
A year ago, many farmers faced significant challenges due to the unusually wet weather, which disrupted their crop rotations.
21 November 2024
Harvest Report: 2024 cereal production estimated to be 1.9mt
Ciaran Collins, Tillage Specialist at Teagasc, shares some of the headline figures from the Teagasc Harvest Report 2024, which was published earlier this week.
21 November 2024
Blight, seed supply and future market trends on the agenda at the National Potato Conference
The National Potato Conference – an event organised by Teagasc, Bord Bia and the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) – will take place on Thursday, November 21.
19 November 2024
Invest wisely and the loss of an industry great
Michael Hennessy, Head of Crops Knowledge Transfer, reminds farmers to focus their investments in areas where there is a clear payback. Michael also provides a fitting tribute to Jim O’Mahony, a stalwart of the industry whose innovations still form a key pillar of Teagasc tillage advice today.
14 November 2024
Disease control in oilseed rape
Winter oilseed rape has grown strongly over the past month, but these conditions are also good for foliar disease development. Dr Stephen Kildea joins the Tillage Edge this week to talk about disease levels in oilseed rape and if control is necessary.
14 November 2024
The standout measures and practices from Tom Barry’s farm
Tom Barry, a tillage farmer from Co. Cork, was crowned the winner of the Tillage Enterprise category of the Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards 2024 last month.
12 November 2024
Assessing BYDV risk – the important factors to consider
Ciaran Collins, Crops Specialist at Teagasc, takes a closer look at Barley Yellow Dwarf (BYDV) virus, sharing insights from experiments completed at Teagasc Oak Park and factors to consider when assessing BYDV risk.
08 November 2024
Views wanted on proposed changes to Noxious Weeds legislation
The views of farmers, citizens and stakeholders have been sought as part of a public consultation on proposed changes to legislation under the Noxious Weeds Act, 1936, which proposes the addition of blackgrass to the list of controlled weeds.
07 November 2024
Organic farming - is it a viable option for tillage farmers?
Organic farming is gaining attention as a viable option for tillage farmers, especially with the demand for organic feed in livestock production on the rise.
07 November 2024
Post-emergence herbicide options for winter cereals
Ciaran Collins, a tillage specialist, and Vijaya Bhaskar, a weed researcher from Teagasc, join the Tillage Edge podcast this week to discuss the best options for effective pre and post emergence weed control in winter cereals.
31 October 2024
Time to get weeds in autumn cereals under control
Ciaran Collins, Tillage Specialist, discusses autumn weed control strategies for winter cereals, focusing on effective herbicide applications for high-priority weeds like annual meadow grass and brome.
31 October 2024
BYDV control programmes and tolerant varieties
Many winter barley varieties are now rated highly for Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) tolerance, but does this mean they should be managed differently to other varieties?
31 October 2024
Tax Planning and Smart Investments Key as Harvest Prices Announced
Michael Hennessy, Head of Crops Knowledge Transfer, discusses tax planning, and investment decisions, including machinery upgrades, drainage maintenance, and soil management.
24 October 2024
The best strategies for controlling BYDV in winter cereals
With many crops just starting to emerge, it's time to think about protecting them from BYDV, or Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus.
24 October 2024
5 steps to becoming an organic farmer
As the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) has recently reopened for applications, Teagasc Organic Advisor, Orla Walsh provides five key steps farmers must follow when transitioning from a conventional to an organic farming system.
22 October 2024
Management tasks for winter barley, wheat and oilseed rape crops
Shay Phelan, Crops Specialist at Teagasc, discusses the current status and management practices for winter barley, wheat, and oilseed rape crops in mid-October 2024.
18 October 2024
Autumn weed control
Pre-emergence herbicides are key for controlling weeds, with the right mix needed for each field's specific challenges. Shay Phelan, Teagasc Tillage Specialist, tells us more.
17 October 2024
Grain markets: Global challenges and supply outlook with James Nolan
With harvest complete, farmers now have a clear understanding of the grain they have available for sale. While many have already sold their grain in forward market positions, others are considering deferring sales for several weeks or months.
17 October 2024
Listen: The Department of Agriculture Fertiliser Register - the actions you need to take
The Department of Agriculture now has a full view of all nutrients imported onto tillage farms and this week on the Tillage Edge, Pat Murphy, Head of Environmental Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc, goes through what this means for farmers.
10 October 2024
Update on Beans
Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Tillage Specialist, gives us an update on beans, and says a decent dry spell is needed to harvest the remainder of this years bean crop.
10 October 2024
National Farm Survey 2023 - Cereals Enterprise Factsheet
The recently published National Farm Survey 2023 Cereals Enterprise Factsheet summarises the results for the major cereal enterprises, namely winter wheat and spring barley. Included within is details on the production, cropping area, yield and costs of production for 2023.
10 October 2024
The humble potato – key facts and figures
Today, October 4, marks Bord Bia’s National Potato Day. In recognition of the humble spud, Shay Phelan, Potato Specialist at Teagasc, shares key facts, figures and developing trends on this all important staple.
04 October 2024
Research on next generation of integrated pest management (IPM) in crops
A new Horizon Europe Project, IPMorama, held its kick-off meeting today at Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre in Dublin. Comprising 17 partner institutions from 10 different countries, this 4 year, €5 Million project is co-ordinated by Dr Dan Milbourne of Teagasc’s Crop Science Department.
03 October 2024
How to protect soils from the impact of machinery
Modern tillage farming practices make soils more vulnerable to the impact of heavy machinery and traffic volumes, but tillage land can still function well if handled with care.
03 October 2024
Pre-emergence herbicides will give you better weed control
Weed control in winter cereals is essential to protect yields and to prevent weed seed return.
03 October 2024
Slurry Spreading - Advice for Farmers and Slurry Contractors
As the slurry spreading season comes to a close across the country over the coming days, Noel Meehan and Sinead Devaney of the Teagasc ASSAP Programme explain why it is very important that farmers and agricultural contractors apply slurry very carefully so as to prevent nutrient losses to water.
27 September 2024
Drilling cereals in early October
As September turns to October, Crops Specialist at Teagasc, Shay Phelan shares key advice on seeding rates for those drilling cereals in early October, autumn weed control strategies and agronomic advice for winter oilseed rape crops.
26 September 2024
Listen: Select the varieties which best suit your farm
As planting season begins, the choice of crop varieties will shape the management practices for the year ahead. Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, Tillage Specialists at Teagasc, are on this week’s Tillage Edge to discuss the key factors in selecting varieties and why certain ones may be more suitable.
26 September 2024
Meet the Tillage and Sheep Finalists of the Environmental Sustainability Awards 2024
The Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards showcase tillage and sheep farmers commitment to sustainable farming. These awards honor progress made in reducing environmental impact while ensuring the sustainable production of high-quality crops and livestock in a profitable manner.
26 September 2024