The latest crop report from Teagasc has outlined the details and criteria for the new €10 million Tillage Incentive Scheme.
The measure has been designed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to encourage an increase of the tillage area farmed in Ireland. DAFM proposes to encourage farmers to grow more tillage crops (e.g. barley, oats, wheat) in 2022.
For area of crops to be eligible, the land must not have been in tillage production in 2021. A payment of €400/ha is proposed.
Increased funding for protein crops will also be made available by the government in 2022. It’s expected that supporting domestic production of protein crops will reduce Ireland’s reliance on imported feed materials.
A total €3 million is provided for under the EU-funded Protein Aid Scheme. Moreover, a further €1.2 million is proposed to guarantee a payment of €300/ha for beans, peas and lupins, and €150/ha for combi-crops (cereal / protein mix).
Farmers should declare the relevant crops on their 2022 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application.
Support for tillage sector
According to Teagasc, DAFM is also pursuing more measures to help the tillage sector.
Further information is due be published shortly. Areas of interest for tillage farmers include: The relaxation of the three-crop rule; using wild bird cover for grain production; and using fallow land for grain production.
Teagasc has also said that some spring barley has been planted in dry land. But most growers are giving land a few extra days to dry out.
Most spring wheat has now been planted, while it is envisaged that malting barley will take priority over feed.
Seed
Growers are being encouraged to take the opportunity of incorporating fertiliser into the seedbed to maximise nutrient efficiency.
Seed thousand grain weights are above average this season for barley (not oats). So growers are being warned. Critically important in this regard is taking full note of the information contained on the bags in which the seed is delivered.
According to Teagasc, there is still time to plant spring beans. But they should take priority over other crops. The area of spring beans this year was expected to be similar to last season.
However, the recent proposal by DAFM to the effect that the protein payment will be guaranteed at €300/ha may prompt some additional hectares to be planted.
Where farmers are struggling to source nitrogen, beans will be a perfect fit in these scenarios.
It is important that crops are planted into highly fertile fields with a high pH, in order to avoid yield penalties.