The year ahead will be a critically important one for the Irish tillage sector. This momentum will be driven by a number of factors, chief among them being the overhang of decisions not taken by agriculture minister, Charlie McConalogue, during 2024.
Leading the charge in this regard will be the government’s long-awaited response to the report produced by the Food Vision Tillage Group.
The publication was delivered to Minister McConalogue months ago. So, why the hold-up in the delivery of the official response to it?
No-one can predict who will be the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) minister in the next government. However, it would be a poor enough show if Charlie McConalogue was not allowed to deliver the government’s response to the many crucially important recommendations contained within the aforementioned report.
After all, he was the man who committed to have the Food Vision Tillage Group established in the first place. It is only right and proper that he should be in office to complete the process.
So, the clock really is ticking in this regard.
Future for tillage
Crystal ball gazing is an activity that is truly fraught with jeopardy. Predictions made with all good intentions can often fall far short of the mark when it comes to the reality of an evolving situation.
However, as 2025 begins to unfold, growers can take great assurance from the income projections published by Teagasc before Christmas. These point to a rise in incomes over the coming year on all tillage farms.
A key driver in this regard is the successful establishment of winter crops over the last couple of months.
The reality is that a return to a normal 2025 harvest projection will help boost the performance achieved on tillage farms significantly. So, let’s hope that all of this potential can be converted into fruitful reality.
But, as always, the weather remains the great imponderable.
Crops that were established in the September, October, November period have just kept on growing. It’s a scenario that has its good and bad points.
Whether these phenomenal growth rates can be obtained remains to be seen. Winter is set to return with a vengeance over the next few days.
So could we be looking at the prospect of a very cold January and February? Time will tell. However, nature has a habit of balancing itself out. And where 2025 is concerned, we won’t have long to find out.