Cereal yields are increasing noticeably as the harvest progresses, according to Teagasc specialist, Shay Phelan.
“The winter grain harvest is now complete. Growers will make a real push to get on with the combining of spring barley, wheat and oat crops over the coming days, assuming the weather holds up.
“Spring beans, for the most part, will not be harvested until the tail end of this month or early October,” he said.
Another promising feature of Harvest 2024, has been the yields of straw produced, particularly by spring crops.
“Adding to the good news, is the very strong prices being paid for straw at the present time,” Phelan further explained.
The potential for spring crops to perform well this year had been identified some weeks back, with both feed and malting barleys showing significant promise in equal measure.
Despite the lodging caused within some crops by the heavy rains of late August, all this yield potential is now being fully realised.
Cereal yields
However, it is also clear that spring barley crops in Donegal are up to three weeks behind those in other parts of the country. This has been a consistent theme recorded throughout Harvest 2024.
It is also evident that the vast bulk of the cereal straw becoming available in Ireland this year will be baled: not chopped. This will include later harvested oaten straw.
It’s all about price – tillage farmers are reporting an almost insatiable demand for straw at the present time.
Meanwhile, Teagasc’s 2024 Crops Forum event takes place on Wednesday next (September 11). The event will be held in the Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.
The poor weather over the couple of years forced many tillage farmers into making decisions which affected farm rotations and soil health.
The Crops Forum will address some of these critical areas including how to get rotations back on tract, early planting of winter barley and an in-depth focus on assessing soils, draining wet spots and, at the same time, protecting water quality.
Choosing cereal varieties that best suit individual farm circumstances will be an important theme of the event.
Cara Mac Aodháin, from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s (DAFM) Cereal Variety Testing Division will focus on the varieties available for the upcoming planting seasons, focusing on their strengths and weaknesses and how this information may be used to your advantage when selecting the most appropriate varieties to grow on your farm.
Teagasc tillage specialist, Ciaran Collins, will look at rotations and their risks and how to ensure you get it right on your farm.
His Teagasc colleague, Dr. Richie Hackett, will delve into the risks associated with the early planting of winter barley and how to maximise the yield potential of the crop.