‘ArableApril’ has drawn to a close and we at AgriLand HQ had a tough job deciding on the winning shots.
Tillage farmers came out in force to tell their story right through the month and readers saw everything from seedbed preparation and sowing, to spraying and rogueing crops for weeds.
We’ve put together a slideshow of some of the images sent in by our readers. It’s well worth a look.
Winner
Five shots made the final cut and all will receive an AgriLand jacket, while the overall winner will get togged out in the full line of merchandise.
That top award goes to the featured image on this article.
The four runners-up were Pádraig Connery from Co. Waterford, Brian Crowley, from Co. Cork, Daniel Kealy from Co. Laois and Michael Meagher, from Co. Tipperary. Their images can be seen below.
Runners-up
In the picture below, Pádraig Connery from Co. Waterford captured the sunrise in Villerstown, Co. Waterford, when out spreading the main split of nitrogen to his Husky winter oats. The oats are destined for Flahavans.
Brian Crowley stepped out of the cab (below) to capture the whole team working to get KWS Alisha beet sown before impending rain on April 22.
Daniel Kealy took this catalogue like shot (below) in Co. Laois when out spreading fertiliser.
Michael Meagher from south Tipperary had a great view of Slievenamon when spreading the final split of nitrogen to Husky winter oats (below).
Irish Grain Growers’ Initiative
‘ArableApril’ was an initiative started by the IGGG to raise awareness of the work of tillage farmers across the country and to give people an insight into what happens on tillage farms and thanks to the participation of farmers, agronomists and many different parts of the industry it did just that.
Speaking on the month gone by chairperson of the IGGG, Bobby Miller, stated: “As a new initiative I’m delighted with the response to #ArableApril. The tillage sector produces fully traceable food and feed for the consumer and fellow farmers.
Our record for environmental, biodiverse and carbon-friendly farming needs to be highlighted more compared to other farming sectors. A recent Teagasc report confirms this.
“Indeed we are leading the way to reduce our carbon footprint through the use of treated urea fertilisers, integrated pest management plans, crop rotation, improving soil structures and reducing leaching to name but a few.
I look forward to next year’s #ArableApril where we plan to build on this year’s success. We definitely need to promote our tillage sector more. It has so much potential.
“We can grow fields of gold for our exchequer and bring jobs and prosperity to rural Ireland. Congratulations to those who won prizes this year,” he concluded.
Keep sending in your snaps
Thanks to everyone for taking part and though ‘ArableApril’ has come to an end AgriLand would still like to see your pictures.
Keep people informed of the good work being done and where their potatoes, oats and beer are coming from, as well as the high-quality grain that is being produced for animal feed.
Send your tillage shots to [email protected].