Tillage Newsletter - January 2024

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In this month's edition:

• Planning for 2024
  • Crops - Spring barley area normally increases after a wet autumn; however, spring barley seed supply is tight this year. Therefore it is important to carefully plan your crops and consider all options.
  • Spring sowing of winter wheat varieties - Teagasc and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) variety trials show that winter wheat varieties can be successfully sown up to mid February.
  • Beans - Teagasc research shows there is no significant yield difference between establishment methods for beans, but direct drill methods offer savings over plough/one pass.
  • Prioritise premium crops - Malting barley, seed crops, and equine, gluten-free and food grade oats command a premium. Sowing of these should take precedence over feed crops.
  • Replanting autumn-sown crops - Replanting decisions should be delayed until growth starts. Where a crop has completely failed the decision is simple, but if some plants survive, deciding is harder.
  • Spring barley - Spring barley seed supply will be tight this year. Native seed will be supplemented with imported to make up the shortfall. Let your supplier know your requirements as soon as possible. Don’t skimp on seed rates.
  • Crop rotation in arable land - As part of conditionality farms with an arable area >10ha must implement a crop rotation. At least two different crops must be sown at parcel level over a four-year cycle. 2023 was year one, so at least two different crops are required within an arable parcel from 2023-2026.