Forget about the politics of farming, all that tillage farmers want to do is enjoy the pleasure of a bright harvest day.

It takes a lot of time and effort to get crops to a stage when the combine gets to work and the real rewards of a full year’s work can be fully assessed.

And where harvest 2026 is concerned, we have reached this stage in the case of winter barley crops.

Winter oilseed rape will follow, and then it’s on with the winter wheat with spring crops following in their natural order.

The weather forecast for the next few days is good. So, the odd breakdown apart, growers will be able to get on with their daily harvest routines from dawn to dusk.

It all adds up to an almost perfect scenario, particularly when one remembers all of those wet harvests that Irish grain growers endured back in the day.

But, at least in the short-term, harvest 2026 promises a sun-filled spectacle.

More good news for growers will come courtesy of the low moisture levels that most crops should be coming off the combines with.

For those farmers who traditionally store grain, the last thing they need is high drying costs, particularly with the still challenging price of fuel.

Straw

Straw is another bountiful harvest provided by all cereal crops.

So is the Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) really that big of an issue?

I don’t think so.

Cereal straw incorporation rates within Irish dairy and beef rations continue to increase. Increasing demand should lead to stronger prices.

Dairy farmers in Northern Ireland alone could mop up all the straw produced across the island of Ireland, if it was made available to them.

Heck, they are even prepared to bring the stuff in from Spain: what’s all that about?

Farmer sentiment

It’s easy to get distracted with the politics and economics of tillage farming.

Do tillage farmers need more support? Of course they do. Do growers need better prices? Of course they do.

But without grain in store, growers have nothing to offer anyone: it’s that simple.

In all honesty, 2025/2026 will not go down as a record year for Irish tillage.

Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) impacted many crops last autumn while the likes of spring barley got off to a ropy enough start a few weeks ago.

However, a hassle-free harvest would do a lot to boost growers’ frame of mind and re-energise their batteries.

They would then be able to truly gird their loins and get stuck into those issues upon which a strong government input is required: Budget 2027, the new Common Agricultural Policy deal, and the like.