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.
2023 came close but dry weather in February allowed most spring wheat, beans and oats to be planted. We weren’t offered that opportunity this year and March has been a write off, so where to from here?
The tillage area (cereals, oilseed rape, beans maize and beet) in 2023 was 330,000ha. Estimates from the autumn suggest that there is approximately 95,000ha sown, therefore there is 235,000ha to be sown this spring if last year’s area is to be maintained. The seed trade says that the upper limit of spring barley is 130,000ha, leaving 105,000ha of other crops to be sown.
Feedback from farmers, advisors and those in the trade suggest that there has been a significant area of land lost from tillage due to leakage to grassland following changes to nitrates rules etc. but this is impossible to quantify at this stage.
March is the preferred month to sow spring wheat, oats and beans, but the dynamics have shifted especially that spring barley seed is limited. It is not possible to say any particular crop should or should not be sown in April as the situation is different on every farm, therefore every farm needs an individual plan. There are multiple factors to consider in this plan including:
- Seed availability;
- Crop margin and availability of premium crop contracts;
- Maintenance of rotation on the farm;
- Soil type and suitability for individual crops;
- Crops already sown and area remaining to be sown;
- Drilling capacity;
- Harvest capacity and how much of the harvest will be in September;
- Availability of supports – Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM), protein aid;
- Market for forage crops in the area, maize, beet, wholecrop silage etc.
Fertiliser spreading and spraying on winter crops has fallen behind and this also needs to be factored into any plan.
In terms of alternatives to spring barley, beans have the advantage of an insurance payment in the form of a protein payment that could be anything from €400/ha to €500/ha. There is also the rotational benefits along with strong forward contract price offers to offset any lower yield.
Oats also has the advantage of offering potentially premium contracts, the opportunity for first wheats next autumn and SIM could be attractive to deal with straw in late-harvested crops. April-sown spring wheat can yield but harvest will be late. SIM is also an option for spring wheat and wholecrop silage is an option if a suitable client is available.
Beet and maize are options for farmers with suitable clients. The big advantage of beet and maize is that yield will not be adversely affected if sowing is delayed until late April and this allows time for other crops to be sown first.
A signed forage contract outlining payment terms must be in place prior to beet and maize being sown. The export of slurry can be incorporated into this agreement which could be a ‘win-win’ for both parties. A template for Contract Forage is available here.
Teagasc staff are available to help any farmer who needs support and help with planning on the farm this spring.