Tillage farmers have until Friday of this week (January 5) to participate in Teagasc’s spring cereal planting survey.
The initiative is an attempt to determine the need for spring cereal seed in Ireland over the coming weeks, against the backdrop of extremely low availability throughout Europe.
Michael Hennessy, head of Crops Knowledge Transfer at Teagasc, commented: “The final results of the survey will be discussed at the 2024 Teagasc Annual Tillage Conference at the end of this month.
“The figures will also be made available to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).”
Seed availability
Hennessy acknowledged that the issue of seed availability is a priority for the tillage sector in 2024.
“Maintaining the area sown out under crops in 2024 is the overarching objective. So, yes, we need to know how much spring seed may be required by growers,” he told Agriland.
“At the same time, we also need to encourage farmers to plant as much winter wheat as they can between now and the end of February.
“There is no shortage of winter wheat seed in the country. So every additional acre that is planted out over the coming weeks reduces the demand for spring cereal seed.”
The tillage specialist has recognised that winter wheat planted over the coming weeks may well be categorised as a spring planting venture by the Department of Agriculture.
“The main objective right now, is to allow tillage farmers to maximise the commercial value of their crops in 2024,” Hennessy said.
Helping tillage farmers in adding value to the cereals they grow is another Teagasc priority for 2024.
This means re-directing home-grown cereals from the commodity markets that dictate the price of dairy and beef rations.
“Growing malting barley is a very obvious way of ensuring that farmers maximise the value of their output. But there are other crop options that can be looked at,” he added.
“Growing cereal crops to a verified seed standard is one. Another is growing gluten-free oats.”
Meanwhile, the growth in the production protein crops looks set to increase again in 2024.
“This will cover both beans and peas. We also need to see an expansion of the plant protein processing facilities that are available in Ireland,” Hennessy said.
Farmers wanting to take part in the Teagasc spring planting survey can do so by logging-on to the organisation’s website. Alternatively, they can contact their local Teagasc office.