Tillage Newsletter - August 2023
Type Newsletter
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Included in this month's edition:
Winter oilseed rape
The recently released Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) figures show the crops grown in Ireland this year, and make for some very interesting reading. The cereal area has fallen by 6% but when proteins and oilseeds are included, the decline in the tillage area is only 2%. This is largely down to the fact that the area of winter oilseed rape (WOSR) has increased significantly again for harvest this year to just over 20,000ha, up from 14,000ha in 2022. This is exactly double the area harvested in 2021 when just over 10,000ha were claimed.
Catch Crops
Anyone who is growing catch crops this year, especially if they are in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), should sit down and have a good read through the new Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) 6 rules and the Scheme regulations before they drill any crops. There are quite a few changes from last year.
Post-harvest stubble management
Whether or not you agree with the Nitrates Directive regulations, stubble cultivations should still be seen as a very useful integrated pest management (IPM) tool to control weeds. There has been a significant increase in the cases of problem grass weeds like bromes, wild oats and blackgrass being reported to Teagasc advisors again in 2023. Stubble cultivations are the first step in the control of many grass weeds as the reliance on herbicides is not achieving adequate control on many farms.
National Crops Forum
The annual National Crops Forum webinar provides an ideal opportunity for farmers to assess the season just gone and also look forward to options for next season. As well as the looking forward to the 2024 season, the forum will look at the long-term future of the tillage sector.
Date: Friday September 8, 2023
Time: 2.00pm
Location: Killashee House Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare