Planning for 2024 will start to rise up the pecking order of importance for tillage farmers over the coming weeks.
Growers of oilseed rape have already started this planting process with crop plantings now underway.
They will be quickly followed by farmers drilling winter cereals, weather permitting, over the coming weeks.
Getting the correct crop mix on a farm correct is important, in order to spread risk. But rotation also plays a key part in adhering to Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) regulations.
On the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Teagasc tillage specialist Shay Phelan confirmed the breadth and scope of the new Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) regulations.
He explained that tillage farmers, when signing-up for the new Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) payments, also committed to maintaining a number of farm management standards.
Phelan said: “Many of these would have been covered by the previous greening regulations. These would have included the likes of buffer strips along water courses.
“Also included would have been the two and three-crop rule.”
According to Phelan, there are now a total of 9 GAEC regulations in place. And tillage farmers will be familiar with the subject areas covered by these measures.
These include the likes of specifying the criteria that must be followed when ploughing-up grassland. Another relates to the restrictions placed on burning arable stubbles.
However, there are a number of new regulations covered by the GAEC measures, which specifically relate to tillage farmers.
“The crop rotation measures that are covered in GAEC 7 will be new to tillage farmers as are the new catch crop regulations that are linked back to the new nitrates measures,” Phelan added.
“The main GAEC measures that will be of direct interest to tillage farmers are the following.
“GAEC 1 relates to the ploughing up of grassland; GAEC 3 relates to the prohibition of burning arable stubbles. GAEC 4 covers the need to place buffer strips adjacent to waterways. These have been increased from 2m to 3m. The width increases further to 6m for late harvested crops.
“GAEC 5 deals with measures that reduce the risk of soil degradation and erosion. GAEC 6 deals with the issues of maintaining soil cover and reducing poaching. This is the condition that is causing a lot of commentary at the moment,” he said.
GAEC 7 deals with issues relating to crop rotation. And, GAEC 8 looks at the maintenance of non agricultural areas e.g., walls, and hedges.