Crops
Supporting farmers through this difficult period
Following a difficult spring and no immediate respite from the weather challenges being faced at farm level, Teagasc has moved to introduce a number of measures to support farmers.
08 April 2024
Risk mitigation advice for tillage farms
Challenging ground conditions on account of high levels of rainfall, first occurring at harvest 2023 and persisting through the winter cropping campaign, have continued to pose challenges on tillage farms this spring.
05 April 2024
Time to reset and plan again
Tillage farmers are in unchartered waters at the moment, writes Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Crops Specialist. We have had wet autumns and wet springs in the past, but the autumn 2023 / spring 2024 combination is new.
04 April 2024
Jim McCarthy’s update from Romania
Jim McCarthy joins the Tillage Edge again this week with the latest on managing the 16,000 hectare farm in Romania and to share some insights on the global grain trade.
04 April 2024
Can farms combining livestock and crops improve sustainability?
Tasos Chatzichristou, PhD student in Agricultural Economics at Teagasc, tells us why mixed farming systems are a potential solution to bridging the gap between agriculture's economic and environmental challenges.
31 March 2024
Root behaviour
The soilborne disease clubroot is increasingly prevalent and difficult to control. To help manage clubroot, Teagasc researchers are investigating the potential of naturally occurring predators in the soil microbiome.
30 March 2024
Advisory messages from the National Fodder and Food Security Committee meeting
An online meeting of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC) took place on Friday, March 29, at the request of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD.
29 March 2024
Buffer zones - where to put them on your farm
Buffer zones are important to protect waterbodies and Hugh Rooney, a Teagasc ASSAP advisor, joins this week’s Tillage Edge to talk about how buffer zones are necessary and what benefits these areas can bring.
28 March 2024
Judicious use of chemistries now critical to control late blight
The need to both mix and alternate fungicide chemistries was highlighted at the Teagasc Potato Late Blight Workshop held at Teagasc Ashtown on Tuesday 26 March.
26 March 2024
Is this the ideal grain crop?
Oat grain is supremely nutritious, the plant is resistant to take-all, it can compensate for a thin stand – and now we discover that oats grown here have an extremely low carbon footprint. Ciaran Collins,Teagasc tillage specialist, tells us more.
25 March 2024
Establishing spring beans and barley
Interest in spring beans is good due to the increased protein payment, favourable contract prices (€250), and a scarcity of spring seed.
24 March 2024
Three-crop rule exemption for 2024
An exemption to the three-crop rule for 2024 was recently announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.
22 March 2024
Field work to bring winter crops up to date
With ground conditions preventing drilling of spring crops, now is a good time to get the winter crop up to date with all the necessary jobs that need to be done, Teagasc Crops Specialist, Shay Phelan has some key advice.
21 March 2024
Sean Kelly MEP discusses EU policy and the tillage sector
Sean Kelly, who is a Member of the European Parliament for Ireland South, joined the Tillage Edge this week to chat about how EU policy is put in place and the influence farmers can have when these policies are being devised.
21 March 2024
Let's Talk Organics - Experiences with cover crops for field-scale organic vegetable production
Elaine Leavy, Teagasc Organics Specialist hosted a webinar on Wednesday, 6th March which looked at experiences with cover crops for field-scale organic vegetable production.
19 March 2024
In-crop slurry application to cereal crops - timely tips
John Mahon, Teagasc Signpost Tillage Advisor, tells us more about how to manage the application of slurry to growing cereal crops in order to maximise nutrient recovery and lower chemical fertiliser costs.
14 March 2024
Applying slurry to growing tillage crops on the Kepak farms
A recent Signpost farm event on the Kepak farm in Dunboyne, Co Meath focused on the use of slurry on their tillage farm. On this episode of the Tillage Edge we discuss utilising slurry on a tillage farm.
14 March 2024
How best to use organic manures this spring
Michael Hennessy discusses the importance of planning the application of organic manures to tillage fields, considering nutrient allowances and the impact on chemical fertilizer needs.
08 March 2024
Try out the Crop Report for free
The Teagasc Crops Team have launched the Crop Report Platform which is a comprehensive information hub for the agronomy of crops in Ireland. Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, joined this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat through the main features of the platform
07 March 2024
Teagasc launch the Crop Report Platform
Teagasc announced the launch of the Crop Report platform for farmers and farm advisors, today, 6 March. The Crop Report, written by Teagasc Tillage Specialists, combines the most up to date field observations with the latest scientific trial results to give practical management strategies.
06 March 2024
Critical management needed for oilseed rape
Despite the cold weather, oilseed rape is actively growing. Management decisions are needed on most crops in the coming days and weeks, John Spink, discusses the tools and management which should be used by all farmers growing oilseed rape to ensure high yield later in the year.
29 February 2024
Management of thin winter cereal crops
With the price of grain having plummeted in recent weeks this will have an impact of the treatment of winter cereal crops especially those where yield potential has been reduced due to the winter weather conditions, writes Shay Phelan, Teagasc Crops and Potato specialist.
29 February 2024
PGRs and tillering in malting barley
A trial conducted as part of the Teagasc/Boortmalt Joint Programme looked at the effectiveness of plant growth regulator (PGR) to promote tiller production in spring malting barley crops when sown at optimum and sub-optimum seeding rates.
27 February 2024
Beans make sense
Ciarán Collins highlights the growing popularity of beans due to their role as sustainable protein sources and the advantages of crop rotation, making beans an economically viable and environmentally friendly choice.
26 February 2024
Virtual Soil Fertility Conference
The Teagasc Soil Fertility Conference 2024 takes place virtually across three Mondays commencing on Monday, 26 February.
26 February 2024
Research verifies low carbon footprint of Irish grain
New Teagasc research on the Tirlán grain pool has shown that Irish grain has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world.
22 February 2024
Giving this year’s malting barley crop the best start
Malting barley plays an important role on many Irish tillage farms, from where 300,000 tonnes are produced to supply the Irish drinks sector annually. As part of the recent Teagasc/Boortmalt Malting Barley Conference, growers were reminded of the importance of having the correct seeding rate.
22 February 2024
Malting barley continues to be in high demand from the Irish drinks industry
The Teagasc/Boortmalt Malting Barley Conference was held yesterday, Tuesday, 20 February in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. The conference attendees included farmers and industry professionals involved in producing over 300,000 tonnes of malting barley to supply the Irish drinks sector every year.
21 February 2024
The Irish Specific Carbon Calculator
On this episode of the Tillage Edge, you’ll hear from John Spink, Head of Crops Environment and Land Use in Teagasc, who spoke at the Teagasc National Conference on how to calculate carbon use or greenhouse gases (GHG) on tillage farms.
15 February 2024
Variable cost respite for cereal crops
Despite challenges aplenty in the tillage industry, there appears to be some good news in the form of a variable cost respite for cereal growers.
15 February 2024