Tillage Newsletter - December 2022

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In this month's edition:

• Farm records
  2022 will be remembered for a number of reasons such as high prices, record yields in some crops and some disasters in others, easy harvesting conditions, and finally a tough autumn for drilling. All of this conspired to make it one of the trickiest years for tillage farmers in living memory. So far, 2023 looks like it will be just as challenging, with continued high input prices likely to increase the risks to tillage farmers’ incomes.
• Crop management
  In many cases farmers have not been able to get back into fields since crops were drilled. The poor weather has made fields very soft underfoot and we have seen a few attempts to spray crops leave big ruts in tramlines, which will have to be endured for the rest of the season. While there are many jobs to be done, try to prioritise them into urgent treatments and those that can potentially wait until spring.
• Sustainable Use Regulation
  The old Sustainable Use Directive for the safe use of pesticides is due to be superseded by a new Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR) in 2023. This will have a significant impact on the amount of plant protection products (PPPs) or pesticides allowed and how they are used into the future. The current Farm to Fork Strategy sets out two targets for pesticides.
• Health and Safety - Child and fire safety over Christmas
  It is important to be mindful of the safety of children during this time. Ensure there is a safe secure play area in place when children are outside. When children are in the farmyard they must always be supervised. Give preventing fires in your home and on your farm your attention. Irish research has shown that farmers and agricultural workers account for 20% of all fire deaths. Almost all fires occur in dwelling houses.