With the weather fast improving, many tillage farmers will be looking for advice on late spring cropping choices.
According to the 2023 Teagasc Costs and Return publication, spring barley crops need to produce an average yield of around 7t/ha to deliver a break-even return for growers.
In reality, crops sown out after the middle of May will not hit this target – no matter how suitable the weather is between now and harvest.
Cropping choices
So what are the cropping alternatives for growers? This is an issue that Michael Hennessy, head of Crops Knowledge Transfer with Teagasc, has been turning his mind to.
He is also mindful of the fact that land not planted still carries substantial fixed costs like machinery, buildings, insurance, labour, etc.
These costs can be quite substantial and in many cases exceed €200/ha or €80/ac.
So, where a crop can achieve any sort of a positive growth margin, this will contribute to these fixed costs making planting the crop a worthwhile exercise.
So what are the alternatives?
Hennessy commented: “Looking at the other crops which could be planted, very few of them look in any way attractive.
“Planting spring oilseed rape will inevitably lead to a very late harvest, running into September. This crop can lose its seeds very easily close to harvest, which can destroy yield quickly and also leaves a large weed problem in the future.”
Where maize is concerned, planting a crop now would require the use of plastic to have any chance of achieving a good yield.
“However, plastic is scarce now and sourcing some of the key herbicides for weed control is also a problem,” Hennessy continued.
To achieve a positive margin from maize, a yield a 57t/ha (23t/ac) at €50/t would be needed.
The final option may be fodder beet. However, very careful planning is needed before this crop should be planted. Having a confirmed market for the beet is crucial, before planting can be considered.
The field where the proposed planting is to take place needs to have a high pH and ideally high indexes for P and K.
The total cost to plant the crop will run towards €3,100/ha (€1,250/ac). At €50/t, a break-even yield of 62t/ha (25t/ac) is required.
The last option is that of leaving land fallow for the year. This also creates some problems as weeds – if not controlled – will run wild and add enormously to the field’s weed bank.
“I would suggest any field put into fallow for 2023 will need to be cultivated at least twice during the year to ensure weeds do not get out of control,” Hennessy explained.
“This adds cost into the system, increasing the losses from this field. Depending on the rotation to be followed, the fallow option can give an opportunity to plan an early crop such as oilseed rape in mid-August this year.”