A small number of tillage farmers have made their way to the fields this week in drier parts of the country.
Farmers, mainly confined to the south of the country – in parts of counties Wexford, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Cork – ticked some long-awaiting jobs off the list.
Immediate work to be tackled includes fertiliser application to winter cereals and oilseed rape, as well as herbicide applications. However, cold weather will deter many farmers from applying herbicide.
Ploughs also made their way out of the shed.
To keep things in perspective, the number of farmers that could pass the gateway of fields was few and far between and most tillage machinery remains parked up.
Drying opportunity
While soil moisture levels did get a chance to improve this week, more rain is due tonight, Thursday, March 5, and Saturday night.
The image below shows soil moisture deficit levels for Tuesday, March 3. The driest level recorded was at Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford, with a reading of 4.
Be prepared
While most farmers cannot get out to the fields they can be prepared for when the weather improves. Seed and fertiliser should be ordered and ready to go when the time comes.
Straw moving
Straw is moving again across the country and while the wet weather is slowing down spring work it is creating some demand for straw.
At the weekend, AgriLand reported straw prices of €10-15/bale for 4X4 bales of barley straw.
Wettest February on record
Met Éireann reported that February 2020 was the wettest February since records began at 16 of its weather stations. This includes stations like Malin Head in Co. Donegal and the Phoenix Park in Dublin which have records dating as far back as 1850.
Met Éireann’s data shows percentages of monthly rainfall ranged from 155% (monthly rainfall total of 156.8mm) at Sherkin Island, Co. Cork, to 332% (monthly rainfall total of 220.1mm) at Gurteen, Co. Tipperary.
The highest rainfall for the month was recorded in Newport, Co. Mayo, at 342.7mm (271% of its long-term average).
Knock Airport recorded the highest daily rainfall on February 8 at 51.5mm. This is the highest daily value recorded at the station for the month of February since 1997.