Harvest 2021 is progressing well – with 60% completed in the south of the country to date – and the recent good weather helping tillage farmers to power on with the combines.
To get an update as to how farmers are faring this harvest, Agriland spoke to Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) National Tillage Committee chairperson Mark Browne.
Commenting on how things are progressing in the south of the country, Browne said:
“The harvest is about 60% complete in the southern area anyway; it mightn’t be as high further up the country. It’s 60% at least around here though,” the Wexford farmer said.
The yields are holding up still. With spring barley the quality is still perfect on it, and it’s still making malt. I’d say it’s doing 3t/ac roughly for most though there is a bit of varying with some people hitting up to 3.5t/ac.
Noting that there is a lot of winter wheat being cut at the moment, the chairman estimated that such yields are ranging from 4t to 5t/ac, while it is too early to say with spring oats, which are only being harvested now.
“In general farmers are going well; the weather is helping them and the markets are very strong,” Browne said.
“This week’s fine weather is worth anything, because crops were getting to a stage where they needed to be harvested – the pressure was on for this week.
Turning to straw, the chairman said: “There’s still a firm market for straw. I think straw is still trading strong. Prices are a little less for customers and that but there’s very strong trade at the moment.
“The average is a little under €20/bale here but that would be a local market. The 8x4x3 bales are still up around €40.
“I think farmers are happy at the moment with the weather, with the markets and with the quality and quantity. Yields are going alright,” he added.
Turning to demand, Browne said: “There’s strong demand for grain; there’s very little feed barley on the market in Wexford.
“All the barley has passed for a malting quality or roasting quality or distilling quality.
“The quality of the grain is fulfilling all the quality markets – the distilling market and brewing market are filled.
“The prices are rising every day; the prices are rising at the moment so there’s no one really coming in with a price. The markets have been getting stronger,” the IFA chairman concluded.
