Teagasc tillage specialist, Shay Phelan, is projecting a significant increase in the oilseed rape acreage drilled last autumn, relative to 2020.
Participating in the most recent Tillage Edge podcast, the specialist said that initial indications point to a possible 25% increase, which would bring the total area dedicated to the crop up to around 13,000ha.
He said:
“Winter barley and wheat sales last autumn were on a par with the previous year. But home-saved seed would also have to be factored in here as well. And, it is very hard to get a handle on this figure right now.”
Based on the various contract offers available, it has been estimated that the area of winter oats sown out last autumn was on a par with the previous year – 13,000-14,000ha.
“Again, growers had a tremendous opportunity to drill oats last autumn in almost perfect conditions,” said Phelan
“Overall across the four winter crops, we are probably up around 10,000ha relative to where we would have been this time last year.”
Teagasc tillage specialists are also predicting that high fertiliser and grain prices will be key drivers for Ireland’s cereal sector over the next 12 months.
These were amongst the numerous issues discussed, courtesy of Teagasc tillage podcast.
Teagasc’s head of crops knowledge transfer department, Michael Hennessy, specifically referenced the changes to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that are coming down the track.
He said:
“These will not kick in until 2023. However, tillage farmers will have to start preparing for the new support measures during June and July of 2022.”
Commenting specifically on the progress of crops already in the ground, Phelan confirmed that the autumn of 2021 will go down as, possibly, the easiest season to allow the drilling of winter cereals.
He continued:
“In a way it was too good to us too early in that a lot of guys started drilling in mid-September.
“Guys were tempted by the good conditions and dry soils that were available to them at that time.
“What was unusual this year was the fact that the good conditions continued on right the way through until October.
“As a result, there was plenty of winter barley and wheat drilled by the last week of September,” he added.
“Fodder beet was the only crop that held up the drilling of cereal crops this year.”
According to Phelan, 90% of cereal crops were in the ground by the middle of October.
He explained:
“For the most part, crops were sown out in ideal conditions. Growers that wanted to roll could take this opportunity.
“With the weather being pretty benign, farmers wanting to spray pre-emergent herbicides had the opportunity, in full, of taking this approach.
“As a result of this, crops got the ideal start. Some people might say that they were too advanced. Some growers, I know were very conscious of early barley crops being exposed to barley/cereal yellow dwarf viruses (BYDV) attack.”
Phelan added:
“Some of these crops have received two applications of an insecticide, just to mitigate against the risk of BYDV attack.
“But as we enter 2022, most farmers are extremely happy with the condition of their winter cereals.
“There has been very little evidence of water logging in crops so far. As a consequence, we have full stands in fields throughout the country. And, hopefully, this will continue to be the case for the rest of the winter.”