As Arable April continues on AgriLand the tillage story unfolds. As the month progresses we can see jobs changing.
In recent days AgriLand has received more pictures of potatoes and maize being planted for example. Beet crops are starting to make an appearance, while the spring crops sown at the beginning of the month and in late March are rising above the ground.
Spring beans, barley and oats are all making an appearance while some spring cereal crops are still to be planted in small areas due to the difficult winter gone by. Oilseed rape is now in full flower and farmers are extremely busy.
The pictures below will give you some idea. There’s also a quick slide show of some photos sent in earlier in the month.
As there is a large amount of photos being sent in, AgriLand put together another slideshow this week to fit in as many pictures as we can.
Details of how to enter the competition or simply tell us what’s going on in the tillage industry are at the bottom of this article. Keep sending in your pictures and stay safe.
In this picture (below), Jason Bryan and Brian O’Leary were planting the last of the potatoes for Valleyview farm. The variety was Rooster. See some more shots in the short video above.
John Hendricken was spraying winter wheat in this eye catching shot in Grangeford, Co. Carlow.
George Byrne captured this shot of Jake Kelly ploughing for beet in Co. Carlow.
Joshua McFarland sent in this shot (below).
Pádraig Shevlin was sowing into ley ground in Co. Monaghan. 
Sam Deane sent in the shots in the gallery below. He was taking samples for sap readings for pH and Brix in a spring barley crop.
Tom Tierney was planting spring oilseed rape in Co. Kildare in this picture (below).
Photo Competition
If you want to get involved share your pictures on social media using the hashtag #ArableApril and tag @AgriLandIreland and @GrowersGrain.
You can also email your pictures to: [email protected]. Get them in by April 30 to be in with a chance to win, but the most important thing is to have some fun telling the story of tillage.
It’s also great to give some background to the image you send in. So maybe what variety of barley you’re sowing or what the end use of the crop is.
Follow The Government And HSE Guidelines
Of course, Government and Health Service Executive (HSE) guidelines in regard to Covid-19 must always be followed.
Photos should only be taken by machinery operators, who are taking a break, or farmers and agronomists who spot a suitable shot in the course of their own work (whilst on their own).
For information from the HSE on Covid-19 click here
Safety When Snapping
As well as following the government and HSE guidelines, farm safety should always be on people’s minds so pictures must be taken in a safe manner.
Some Top Tips For Taking Photos
AgriLand has some top tips for taking pictures on your phone. If you turn the phone on its side and take the picture on landscape it will look better on our site or app.
Also if you tap the main subject of the picture on your phone before you take the photo it might improve your picture. For example, if you are taking a picture of a tractor tap the tractor on your phone and then capture the image.