The Teagasc 2023 Harvest Report has confirmed the impact of the poor weather and ground conditions on crops over the last 12 months.
Nationally, cereal production for Harvest 2023 is estimated to be 1.93 million tonnes. This is a decrease of almost 0.5 million tonnes from the year previous.
The area of winter wheat in 2023 was 51,200ha which was a decrease of 9,200ha on 2022, and 1,300ha below the five-year-average of 52,500ha.
Average yield was 9.5t/ha which is 1.1t/ha below the record yield of 11t/ha in 2022, and 0.5t/ha below the five-year-average of 10t/ha.
Difficult weather conditions last autumn resulted in a prolonged sowing period, and there were some bare patches in fields due to waterlogging. Septoria levels were low at leaf-three fungicide timing but increased after that.
Dry weather in May and June helped reduce septoria pressure later in the season. There were some pockets of yellow rust, but it was not a major issue overall.
Nitrogen application was delayed in some crops due to wet weather in March and April.
Wet weather in July caused a deterioration in grain quality. Average grain moisture at harvest was 19.6% and hectolitre (hl) weight was below average at 72.5kg/hl.
Wheat
Meanwhile, the area of spring wheat reduced to 4,500ha which is 2,000ha below the five-year-average of 6,500ha.
35% of the spring wheat area was sown in Cork. mainly due to reduced sowing in the autumn and sowing opportunities in February.
The highest yields generally came from early sown crops in the south where individual yields of 10t/ha were recorded, however, overall average yield for the crop was 7.6t/ha which is 0.4t/ha below the five-year average.
Delayed harvesting resulted in some sprouting where the average was 71 kg/hl and average moisture was recorded at 20.2%.
Barley
The area of winter barley decreased to 53,200ha from 73,800ha in 2022 which is 12,600ha below the five-year average. The majority of the crop was sown in late September / early October before soil conditions deteriorated.
There was a reluctance to sow earlier in the south following previous experiences with Take-all and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV), and as a result, much of the crop remained unsown as weather became wetter.
There was a large variation in yields across the country. Early sown full crops generally yielded well, while the poorer yields came from crops with low shoot counts.
The best crops yielded in excess of 10.5t/ha while drought and low shoot counts were factors in some of the poorer yielding crops, where some yields below 7.5t/ha were recorded.
The overall average yield for the crop was 8.7t/ha, which is just slightly below the five-year average for the crop.
Some crops were harvested in June where moistures were low, but the overall moisture was 19% at 63kg/hl.
The area of spring barley increased to 131,800ha in 2023. The 15,300ha increase compensated for winter barley that was not sown the previous autumn.
There was a large variation in yield with the best yields coming from the south of the country.
The best yields were mainly from the early sown crops where yield exceeded 7.5t/ha, however this was a low percentage of the overall crop.
Yield was much lower in late sown crops where some crops struggled to produce 5t/ha. Drought in late May and June was a big factor in the poorer yields in late sown crops.
The overall average yield ended up at 6.4t/ha which is 1.1t/ha below the five-year average of 7.5t/ha and 1.7t/ha lower than the record average yield of 8.1t/ha produced in 2022.
Average malting barley yields were slightly higher due to early planting. Early harvested crops reached the required specifications but very little barley met the specifications after the middle of August.
Average moisture was 19.8% and specific weight was 61kg/kl for feed barley and 63kg/kl for malting barley.
A proportion of spring barley remains unharvested, due to wet weather with serious financial consequences for the farmers involved.
Oats
The area of winter oats was 5,000ha lower than 2022 at 10,200ha. Similar to winter wheat and barley, establishment was patchy, due to poor weather at sowing and this had a negative effect on yield.
There was a large variation in yield with some crops yielding 10t/ha where dry weather in May/June had least effect. The average yield for the crop was 8.3t/ha. The five-year average yield for winter oats is 8.8t/ha.
Average moisture was 18.3% and specific weight 53kg/kl.
The area of spring oats increased to 16,600ha in 2023, an increase of 3,600ha from 2022. Similar to spring barley, there was a large variation in yield across the country where early sown crops in the south yielded best.
Average yield for the season was 7.2t/ha, 0.3t/ha below the five-year average of 7.5t/ha.
Average moisture was 18.3% and specific weight 51.6kg/kl.
Winter oilseed rape
2023 saw the largest area of winter oilseed rape planted in the country at 20,500ha, surpassing the 17,500ha planted in 2012.
An early finish to the harvest in 2022 coupled with a strong market for oilseeds were the driving factors in the increased area.
Most crops overwinter well and pigeon grazing was low. High Green Area Index (GAI) in many crops resulted in savings on N, however poor ground conditions in April resulted in a delayed application on many farms.
Light leaf spot was evident in February but it did not progress later in the season.
Average yield was 4.4t/ha which is slightly below the five-year average of 4.6t/ha. Average recorded moisture was 11.7%.
Spring beans
An increase in the protein payment and suitable weather in early spring resulted in a record area of spring beans. The overall area of 14,900ha exceeded the previous high of 11,400ha planted in 2017.
Like all spring crops, the earlier planted crops had higher yields and avoided the worse effects of the drought in June.
Chocolate spot was the predominant disease but was well controlled and did not significantly impact on yield.
Average yield was 5.4t/ha which is well back on the 6.1t/ha produced in 2022 but just on the five-year average which is 5.5t/ha. Average moisture was 19.8%.
Straw
There was a significant reduction in the volume of straw produced in 2023.
A reduction of 6.4% in the cereal area, lower area of winter cereals, lodging and difficult weather to save straw are the main reasons for the lower volume in 2023.
Some winter barley straw was on the ground for five weeks before it could be baled.
There was a good uptake of the Straw Incorporation Measure in 2023. Estimates suggest that over 70,000ha of straw was incorporated under the scheme as part of the government’s Climate Action Plan.
Payment rates of €250/ha for oats, rye, wheat or barley, are available and €150/ha for oilseed rape.
The straw market was strong again this year with 4X4 round bales making €17-20/bale ex-field.