Teagasc releases indicators of Farm Technical Performance
At its upcoming Agricultural Outlook Conference on Tuesday, 28th November in Ashtown Dublin, Teagasc will release its first estimates for incomes in the major farm systems for 2023, as well as prospects for 2024.
Teagasc releases indicators of Farm Technical Performance
Ahead of this event, Teagasc economists have released the final figures for farm incomes in 2022 based on the Teagasc National Farm Survey (preliminary results released on 12 June 2023), along with Enterprise Factsheets, which provide a detailed breakdown of production costs and a range of farm technical performance measures for 2022.
The results are representative of over 85,000 farms nationally. On dairy, tillage and some cattle farms, higher production costs were offset by an increase in farm output prices. However, the net impact, which these output and input price changes had on farm incomes, varied across the various grassland and tillage farm systems in 2022.
The average Dairy farm income in 2022 was €148,598, an increase of 50% on the 2021 level, while the corresponding figure for Tillage farms was €76,013, an increase of 31% on the 2021 level.
The average income in the Cattle Rearing and Cattle, Other (mainly Finishers) systems in 2022 were €8,324 and €18,554, representing a decrease of 23% and an increase of 8% respectively on the 2021 level.
In contrast to recent years, 2022 was a more difficult year on Sheep farms. The average Sheep farm income in 2022 was €16,324, a decrease of 21% on the 2021 level.
Almost 60% of the income in Irish agriculture in 2022 was produced on just over 15,300 Dairy farms represented in the survey. Just over 48,200 Cattle farms in the survey produced a further 19% of agricultural income, with the remaining 22% split between Tillage, Sheep and Mixed Livestock farms.
Enterprise Factsheets
Enterprise Factsheets based on the results of the Teagasc National Farm Survey, show the dramatic production cost increases in 2022. Significant increases occurred in direct costs such as feed, fertiliser and fuel in 2022 and notable increases also in expenditure on fixed costs, such as building and machinery depreciation.
Milk production costs rose by over 37% in 2022 to almost 37 cent per litre. Costs per hectare for two of the main Cattle enterprises, Single Sucking and Cattle Finishing increased by 16% and 18% respectively in 2022. Costs per hectare for the Lowland Sheep enterprise rose by 13% in 2022. Production costs per hectare for Spring Barley and Winter Wheat in 2022 rose by 44% and 22% respectively.
The Enterprise Factsheets, including a range of metrics relating to environmental performance making it possible to track developments in the adoption of environmental actions such as usage of low emissions slurry spreading techniques and low emission synthetic fertilisers.
Final results of the Teagasc National Farm Survey 2022 and the Enterprise Factsheets for 2022 for Dairy, Single Sucking, Cattle Finishing, Lowland Sheep and Cereals are available at https://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2023/national-farm-survey-enterprise-factsheets-2022.php
Teagasc Outlook Conference
As well as summarising the outcome for 2023, the forthcoming Teagasc Outlook Conference on Tuesday, 28th November will take a look at income prospects for 2024.
To register to attend the Outlook Conference in Teagasc Ashtown, visit https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/national-events/events/outlook-2024---economic-outlook-for-irish-agriculture.php