As the year progresses, the majestic colours of autumn take precedence within the Irish countryside. And it is truly a sight to behold.

The bold reds and the rustic browns now mix with the greens that so characterise the majesty of our hedgerows and woodland areas the year round.

The end result is a sense of the world being at one with itself.

No doubt the dry weather of recent months, the ample sunshine that characterised the summer of 2025, and the mild spring that preceded it have all combined to give us an autumn to remember.

Production benefits

Meanwhile at farm level, the benefits of dry ground conditions continue to deliver so much for production agriculture.

The grazing season continues, with cattle and sheep securing ample access to high quality grass at this late stage in the year.

Meanwhile, tillage farmers have been allowed the opportunity to drill winter crops in almost perfect conditions.

We can all remember so many years when the polar opposite was the case.

Adding to this feel-good scenario for farming has been the very acceptable farm gate returns that have been available over recent months.

Yes, milk prices have taken a downward turn of sorts over recent weeks. But helping to counteract this are the ample of quantities of good quality silage that have been accrued on most farms since the beginning of spring 2025.

And, of course the availability of the much welcomed winter milk price bonuses will help buffer dairy farmers from the vagaries of international markets over the coming months.

There is every possibility that 2025 will go down in the history books as being a year of tremendous opportunity for farming in Ireland.

But none of this came about by chance.

The countryside that looks so well at the present time has, to a very large degree, been created by farmers over many generations.

And this is a key message that must be communicated to the rest of society in a very clear and unambiguous manner.

In addition, so much of the high quality food and drink that we all enjoy has been produced on local farms.

And again this is a message that must continue to resonate with consumers, not just here but around the world.

So, yes, farming in Ireland has so much to celebrate as we enter the winter of 2025/2026.

The challenge is to maintain this set of circumstances into the future.