Tillage
European cereal production is expected to be below average for another year, according the European Commission.
Beef
Irish grass-fed beef is marketed globally on its unique flavour, colour and taste. Cattle graze for up to 300 days of the year in Ireland.
Rural Life
Hurricane Gert will keep weather unsettled over the weekend according to Met Éireann. Continuing changeable weather is expected until Monday.
Sheep
Sheep Ireland is hosting its annual EuroStar Multi-breed Ram Sale in Tullamore Mart, Saturday week, August 26.
Winter wheat is currently in the middle of harvest, with good reports across the board for first wheat and continuous crops.
In Co. Roscommon, a merchant is selling round bales of straw at €20/bale, with bales destined for Mayo priced at €25-26/bale.
Farmers continue to show strong demand for quality lots of ewe lambs, while improved trade was also reported for butcher and factory sheep.
Improved trade for forward store cattle and factory-fit steers was reported in a number of marts across the country in recent days.
Some 1,170 sheep were on offer at this year's Tullow Sheep Breeder's Association Show and Sale in Tullow Mart last Wednesday, August 9.
Lamb prices are up 10-15c/kg this week, after quotes dropped below €5/kg last week. Today's base prices currently stand at 490-505c/kg.
Dairy
More and more farmers are now looking to feed their maize crop while at spring grass, as a buffer feed, according to Gordon Shine
In 2016, the suckler cow's average gross output declined by 5% to €1,071 and could not cover her costs - resulting in a net loss of €28/cow.
The average mid-season lamb producer had a net margin of €155/ha in 2016, Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) data has revealed.
After a slow start up to June 1, maize crops have caught up now, having "jumped out of the ground", according to John Foley of Maizetech.
Winter barley yields have been a mixed bag, with yields ranging from 3t/ac to 4.25t/ac so far this harvest.
Winter oilseed rape has been performing very well and has been described as one of the better stories so far this harvest.
Trade for breeding stock has improved at the marts in recent days, with demand for ewe lambs and breeding ewes helping prices.
The top-performing dairy farms produced 7,031L more milk per hectare than the bottom third of farmers - almost double the amount.
Some factories have dropped spring lamb quotes by another 25c/kg this week; meaning that in just two weeks, factories have slashed lamb prices by up to 45c/kg.
Beef cattle met a strong trade and prices reflected the demand at the ringside. In some locations prices were up €30-40/head.
The gross margins generated on the top 33% of beef finishing farms and the bottom 33% differed by...
The harvesting of winter barley is just coming to an end for the Rodgers brothers on Murragh Farm in Oldtown, Co. Dublin.
Harvesting is well underway in the south east, with winter oats now starting to come onto the weigh bridges in the last few days.
Combines have been rolling the last number of weeks, with quite a bit of the country's winter barley crop now harvested.
