26 December 2023
Assessing options to make your farm more resilient
Judging performance in a year such as this can give a very negative view of a farm business, writes Shay Phelan, Teagasc Crops Specialist, but it’s an opportunity to identify areas to make your farm more resilient in the years ahead.
While December is always a good month to take stock of what has happened during the previous season and then plan for the coming season, this may well be the year where you simply assess options that can make the farm more resilient in terms of income, soils, labour, etc.
If the scientists are to be believed, we may see more years like 2023 rather than 2022, so how will we cope if we get more years like this? The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities arising for tillage farmers.
One of which is taking in animals on a B&B basis from beef or dairy farms to bring them in line with the new derogation rules. There is also the option of taking in sheep to graze off catch crops. There are contracts for higher value crops and look at the many suitable Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) schemes.
These things can help farmers overcome tough years. While it may be painful to do this year, contact your local advisor and complete a Teagasc eProfit Monitor (EPM), or as many have called it this year a “loss monitor”.
Although the figures for many may not look good, they can still provide useful information about the farm for the year. While we would always encourage farmers to do one on a yearly basis, the real benefits become apparent when you have multiple years EPMs completed. You can then start to compare different crop performance over different years. You can spot trends on the farm, which are more reliable than an analysis from one year. For those farmers who participated in the Knowledge Transfer Scheme over the last three years, they should have three years of very good data to work from. The EPM should be completed now so contact your local advisor.
Nutrient Management Planning
Another job that can be completed in the coming weeks is a Nutrient Management Plan for 2024. With the fertiliser register now active, you must make sure that you are compliant with the nitrates rules when it comes to buying chemical fertiliser.
Check to make sure that all fields have an up-to-date soil analysis report and, if not, organise to get any outstanding fields tested as soon as possible. These soil tests will be the basis of the Nutrient Management Plan and will determine which and how much fertiliser you can buy.
Remember, if you don’t have an up-to-date soil test, your fertiliser phosphorous (P) allowance is zero. Likewise, if you intend to use organic manures you simply cannot risk using them unless you can calculate the balance that is to be supplied by chemical fertilisers. Time will quickly run out in the spring to get this done, so contact your local advisor or agronomist before the spring work begins.
This article first appeared in the December Teagasc Tillage Advisory Newsletter. Access the entire publication here.
Grower feedback wanted on winter crop plantings
Following a challenging autumn and early winter period on tillage farms, Teagasc has launched a survey to help identify the areas planted this autumn and to shed light on farmers’ cropping plans for next spring.
With wet conditions persisting from mid-September through to late-November, plantings have been hindered in all areas. This loss of winter crop area looks to be compounded by a lack of seed for spring cereals, which may lead to unsown land on many farms in 2024.
To establish an accurate picture of the areas planted nationally thus far, Teagasc is asking for as many tillage farmers as possible to participate in the survey. The survey aims to assess how much planting has been completed this autumn and to identify if tillage farmers plan to sow winter cereals in January and February.
We would like to get your feedback to create a national picture of winter plantings this year and your intentions for 2024.
To complete the survey via Survey Monkey, click here.