Tillage specialists are confirming that the opportunity to get viable crops of spring beans, wheat, and oats into the ground is fast reducing.
According to Teagasc’s head of Crops Knowledge Transfer, Michael Hennessy, the yield potential of crops such as spring beans, wheat and oats is very dependent on planting date.
“And this is very much the case, once we get into April. Spring barley is much more flexible in this regard,” he told Agriland.
“It is more than feasible to plant barley crops through until the end of this month and still expect a decent harvest yield. This assumes that growing conditions remain acceptable throughout the season.
“However, the same cannot be said for a range of other spring crops. Growers wanting to grow beans, wheat and oats need to avail of a planting opportunity in the very near future,” he told Agriland.
Spring beans, wheat and oats
According to the Teagasc representative, growing a range of spring crops delivers a range of benefits for tillage farmers.
“The availability of the protein aid payment makes beans a very attractive option. And where oats are concerned, the premium market price available for the grain again ticks lots of boxes with farmers,” Hennessy continued.
“But the over-riding benefit of growing a selection of spring crops is the range of harvest dates this approach can offer.
“Putting the entire focus on April-sown spring barley leads to a very short harvest window in September. This is a time of year when weather conditions can be very unpredictable.
“The restricted supply of spring cereal seed is another reason why tillage farmers should seek to diversify their spring planting options in whatever ways are possible,” he added.
Regional differences
Michael Hennessy indicated that some farmers have been able to get on with some planting work in drier parts of the country.
“But where heavier ground predominates and, in particular, where spring crops will follow late harvested crops such as potatoes and beet, the waiting continues,” he explained.
“Lying water is still a feature in some fields. Drying out can only take place when evapotranspiration and drainage rates exceed rainfall levels. And this has yet to happen in many parts of the country.”
As the days pass and opportunities to plant combinable spring crops reduce, the potential to look at crop silages is an option that can be availed off by tillage farmers.
Hennessy views the possibility of growing later planted spring wheat crops with this objective in mind.
“There’s little doubt that whole crop wheat is a very attractive winter forage source for large numbers of dairy and livestock farmers,” he concluded.