First winter wheat and spring barley crops harvested in south-east
Teagasc is confirming that the first of this year’s winter wheat and spring barley crops were harvested in Co. Carlow over the weekend.
Tillage specialist Shay Phelan commented: “The harvest continues to come in between a fortnight and three weeks earlier than would normally be the case.
“But there is a wide range in the state of maturity that crops are at in different parts of the country."
According to Phelan, the wheat and spring barley crops cut over the past couple of days were grown on light soils.
He added: “Given that their harvest date was so much earlier than would normally be expected yields may well be not much to write home about.
“In contrast, crops grown on heavier soils are managing to hold on that little bit longer. So, yields in these cases should be stronger.”
Significantly, the Teagasc representative is making a clear link between grain and straw yields.
He explained: “Commercial straw prices this year will be very much based on the supplies available.
"I am also hearing that a number of tillage farmers have removing fields from the Straw Incorporation Measure.
“There is a growing sense of livestock farmers facing into a fodder challenge later in the year, if the current hot spell continues.
"And this is another factor that is impacting on straw prices at the present time.”
Meanwhile, tillage farmers continue to wait for a response from Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, regarding the over-subscribing by cereal growers to the 2026 Straw Incorporation Measure.
If the minister wants to pay out all the applications received from growers in full, then he has to find an additional €6.8 million.
There is a general consensus within farm organisation circles that every attempt is being made to find the additional finance.
Potatoes
Turning to potatoes, Phelan said that crops have more or less stopped growing in response to the continuing high air temperatures and rising soil moisture deficits.
He continued: “Crops should be bulking up at this time of the year. But there is no sign of this happening at the present time.
According to Phelan, while farmers with access to irrigation systems "will be OK", this will not be the case for growers who do not have the technology.
The Teagasc tillage specialist added: “If the dry weather continues, I would be concerned that potato crops will start to senesce in the near future.
“If this happens, final yields will be significantly impacted, irrespective of what rain fall we get later in the season.”
