Crops
Grain the advantage
0 Grain the advantage Innovations in plant variety testing in Europe are laying the foundation for more sustainable agriculture. Breeding better crop varieties is an essential component in the development of sustainable agricultural production systems. Plant breeding has a demonstrated track record of success in driving agricultural productivity and profitability. However, increased agricultural […]
1 January 2024
Black grass and how to eliminate it from your farm
Black grass and how to eliminate it from your farm Grass weeds are a problem on almost all farms in Ireland and the scale of the increase and the measures necessary to control them is less well known. Black grass is in every county in the country and while it can be […]
28 December 2023
Weed control and monitoring the BYDV challenge
Weed control and monitoring the BYDV challenge Very few winter cereal crops have received any herbicides so far in 2023. In this article, Shay Phelan, Teagasc Crops Specialist, looks at the options for weed control in winter barley, wheat and oilseed rape. While many will opt for spring applications for winter barley, […]
28 December 2023
Assessing options to make your farm more resilient
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 […]
26 December 2023
Looking back on the tillage year & the learnings from it
Looking back on the tillage year & the learnings from it As the end of the year approaches, most tillage farmers will want to forget 2023. Unfortunately it will be remembered as a year of weather extremes and the resulting difficulties. But it is beneficial to look back on how we dealt […]
21 December 2023
Tillage advice: The importance of soil sampling
Tillage advice: The importance of soil sampling Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Crops Specialist, tells us why an up-to-date soil test report is important, while highlighting legislation changes which make soil sampling mandatory and essential when fertiliser planning for the year ahead. A former colleague once said: ‘trying to grow a crop without an […]
21 December 2023
Grower feedback wanted on winter crop plantings
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 […]
19 December 2023
Mutual benefits – Cork tillage and dairy farmers work together
Mutual benefits – Cork tillage and dairy farmers work together Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Crops Specialist, and Advisor Michael McCarthy report on Cork tillage and dairy farmers working together in a textbook example of the ‘circular economy’ at work in farming. Niall Canty and his father Denis are tillage farmers and contractors from […]
18 December 2023
Forward selling – did you miss the boat or dodge the on-coming bus?
Forward selling – did you miss the boat or dodge the on-coming bus? Michael Hennessy, Teagasc Head of Crops Knowledge Transfer, reflects on a conversation he had with Phelim Dolan, a grain trader in Comex-McKinnon, as part of an episode of the Tillage Edge podcast on grain markets and what future prices […]
14 December 2023
What to expect from the grain markets in early 2024
What to expect from the grain markets in early 2024 Over the past few months, grain markets have not hit the headlines, but are still happily functioning in the background. On the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Phelim Dolan, a grain trader in Comex-McKinnon, chats to Michael Hennessy about the current markets and […]
14 December 2023