In pictures: Reeling in the years as Oak Park Crops Research Centre celebrates 60

Visitors from far and wide visited Teagasc Oak Park on Saturday, July 13, as 60 years of agricultural innovation were celebrated at the Teagasc Crops Research Centre.

Described as a ‘journey through time’ by some in attendance, machinery from both today and yesteryear were showcased to illustrate the advancements in mechanisation, work rates and safety that have occurred over the last six decades.

With the winter harvest commencing across the country, visitors - both young and old - saw first-hand how combining technology has changed; moving from an era of tractor-drawn threshers to the modern-day GPS guided machines of today – rekindling fond memories for some and providing a snapshot of history for those of a younger vintage. Additionally, given its proximity and close ties to the sugar beet industry, the open day showcased how beet harvesting equipment has changed.

Away from the shiny metal displays, details were shared as to how the Irish cropping landscape has transformed since 1965 – a time when 474,000ha were under crops. Nowadays, that figure is much closer to 287,000ha, as advancements in yield has enabled production to be maintained. Spring barley yields would have been less than 3t/ha back then and now average over 7.5t/ha.

Table 1: Changes in cropping over 60 years

The Teagasc Crops Research Centre has a proud history of potato breeding and has being doing so since 1962. Initially, this work was centred exclusively on breeding for the Irish market, but during the 1970s a partnership was formed with Irish Potato Marketing (IPM). This partnership, which continues to this day, has allowed for the scope of the breeding efforts to stretch to export markets. The most notable graduate from this breeding programme is the ‘Rooster’ and at the event, Denis Griffin, potato researcher, shared insights into potato breeding, how new varieties are developed and what traits does the programme aim to improve in the future.

Details were also shared on how cereal diseases have changed over the past six decades. Stephen Kildea, Research Officer at Teagasc Oak Park, told those in attendance that the majority of crops of wheat and barley sown in the 1960s were spring sown. Now the majority of wheats are autumn sown, while a mix of spring and autumn sowings are commonplace for barley varieties.

His display also looked at the diseases affecting both crops. Powdery mildew, rusts and root and stem diseases were the most common affecting wheats in 1964; now septoria tritici blotch is by far the most damaging disease for wheat crops – becoming dominant in the early 1980s and being of the most importance since.

Other areas of interest displayed at the event included information on the National Centre for Brewing and Distilling, the Teagasc Signpost Programme, the Teagasc Better Farming for Water Campaign, along with other research ongoing in the areas of cereals, apple production and forestry.

Visitors to the open day were also given the opportunity to take a tour of Oak Park House, visit the museum and learn about the history of the estate.

Commenting on the successful event, John Spink, Head of Environment, Crops and Land Use Programme at Teagasc, said: “We were blown away by the attendance at the open day, and delighted to have the opportunity to show people what we do. Visitors travelled from far and wide to see first-hand how farming has changed since Oak Park was officially opened as the National Crops Research Centre in 1964.

“The event showcased the advancements in the agricultural sector both from an agronomy and mechanism perspective over the past six decades, while also highlighting the work ongoing by our talented team of researchers in developing the crops and farming practices of tomorrow.”

Learn more about the National Crops Research Centre here

To find out more information on the History of Oak Park, visit here