Tillage Newsletter - February 2023

Download Publication (PDF)

In this month's edition:

• Beans
  The new Protein Payment Scheme 2023, which has an increased budget of €7m, will make beans and other protein crops much more attractive to tillage farmers this year. In 2022, approximately 11,000ha of protein crops were grown. This year it is hoped to increase this to somewhere near 14,000ha, which would give a payment of €500 per ha.
• Winter cereal crops
  Now is the time to assess your winter crops to see how they have emerged from the winter. Many have escaped the worst of the heavy rains last autumn and are relatively unscathed, while others have lower plant numbers or bare patches. Critical decisions will have to be made before you order seed and fertiliser for the spring, given the cost of inputs this year relative to grain prices.
• Winter oilseed rape
  Many oilseed rape crops had relatively good canopies before Christmas, but many of these are now smaller and have a lower green area index (GAI). This is due to either the plant growth regulator (PGR) effect, pigeon grazing, or both. All efforts to stop pigeons grazing in the coming weeks need to be deployed or the canopy will be grazed further.
• Upcoming events
  February is a busy month with many events around the country. Our series of spring seminars continues in various locations, while a number of crop walks will also take place during the month. Find out more www.teagasc.ie/tillagemonth