The Teagasc Crops Forum this year will focus on the technical challenges facing farmers in the coming year. The event takes place this Thursday, September 9, in the Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.

Here’s three reasons why Teagasc says farmers should attend:

1. Grain Harvest: Teagasc says after a good harvest and growing season grain price has dropped over €30 per tonne (over 15%) in the past nine months largely due to a large global harvest. John Bergin from R&H Hall will give an insight of what to expect over the coming six to nine months with an eye to the medium-term prospects for grain price. Josephine Brennan from the Department of Agriculture Cereal testing division will give an update on the latest recommended varieties for the autumn and give her assessment of current varieties.

2. Crop Rotation: The new Greening regulations and crop diversification brings crop rotation into focus. Dermot Forristal, Oak Park will report the on-going research work in Teagasc and talk about results the long term rotation trial. John Pettit, Teagasc, will give an advisors view of constructing a rotation on a farm in Wexford including the practical and financial implications of rotational changes.

3: Greening: Forum participants will get the most up to date information on entitlements and Greening from the Department of Agriculture officials at the afternoon session. Growers can expect to hear how the value of their entitlements may change and how crop diversification and Ecological Focus Areas (EFA) will affect their cropping programme for 2015. These topics will then be open to all via a panel dissuasion with experts from the industry.