Crops
Opening the gate: Sustainable farming in practice at Don Somers’ farm
Don Somers, a tillage farmer from Wexford, and the overall winner of the Environmental Sustainability award in 2025, joins Michael Hennessy on the Tillage Edge, along with John Mahon, his Signpost Farm advisor, to preview the open evening at Don’s farm on June 17th.
11 June 2026
Major evening walk planned on award winning tillage farm
Don Somers, a tillage farmer and winner of the overall Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Award 2025, will open his farm to visitors next week for a major national evening farm walk. John Pettit, a Teagasc Advisor based in Co. Wexford, previews the event.
8 June 2026
Rainfall creates a tale of two spring barley crops
While we are still a long way from harvest, 2026 is already shaping up to be a tale of two spring barley crops, Ciaran Collins, Crops Specialist, looks at the impact and some of the key decisions facing growers.
5 June 2026
Report from the UK on the drought and blackgrass control
On this week’s Tillage Edge, Dubliner Andy Mahon, who is farm manager of the Bromborough Estate in Northamptonshire, UK, discusses crop conditions, how the business is coping with the difficult weather, grass-weed pressure and recent changes to farm support.
4 June 2026
Walking crops remains one of the most valuable management tools
Vital for assessing growth and development, along with identify issues such as grass weeds, nutrient deficiencies or emerging disease problems, Head of Crops Knowledge Transfer, Michael Hennessy writes on the importance of walking your crops regularly.
29 May 2026
Crop update from Kildare
North Kildare farmer, Phillip Harris, and Teagasc advisor, John Brophy, discuss crop progress and management challenges on this week’s Tillage Edge.
28 May 2026
Signpost update: Reflections on a difficult spring with Tom Barry
As May turns to June, Signpost Programme Tillage farmer, Tom Barry reflects on delayed crop establishments this spring caused by challenging weather conditions but hopes that the old saying ‘a wet and windy May fills the barn with corn and hay’ holds true.
28 May 2026
Attend an organic crop walk this June
Two Organic Crop Walks will take place in early June, offering farmers the chance to see how organic crops are performing this season.
25 May 2026
Cost driven choices: Jim McCarthy on his changing machinery policy
For this episode of the Tillage Edge podcast, Michael Hennessy re-visits the conversation with Jim McCarthy, who farms an extensive holding in north-eastern Romania.
21 May 2026
Removing the ‘guesswork’ with precision farming
Precision farming, using technology, data and careful monitoring, helps farmers like Don Somers grow crops more efficiently. Siobhán Kavanagh and John Mahon, Teagasc Signpost, write on some of the technologies being utilised on his Wexford tillage farm.
21 May 2026