Teagasc is this month, putting a focus on the need for growers to improve their record-keeping standards. The year just ending will be remembered for a number of reasons.
It included high prices, record yields in some crops and some disasters in others, easy harvesting conditions, and finally a tough autumn for drilling.
All of this conspired to make it one of the trickiest years for tillage farmers in living memory.
So far, 2023 looks like it will be just as challenging, with continued high input prices likely to increase the risks to tillage farmers’ incomes.
Record-keeping
Given the uncertainty in all agricultural systems, it has never been as important for farmers to sit down at the end of each year and assess their business to see what is performing well and what is performing poorly.
Teagasc tillage specialist, Shay Phelan commented: “We have seen this year a knee-jerk reaction to poor winter barley yields in certain areas, with the predicted forecast for the area of the crop planted this autumn down possibly 20,000ha from last autumn.
“However, how often have we seen before that the following harvest after a poor one turns out to be a relatively good year?
“Some fields seem suited better to certain crops than others and changing cropping systems can have a long-term effect on overall farm profitability.”
To assist farmers in keeping digital records, which can be much more useful than paper-based systems, Teagasc has partnered with Farmplan to provide a crop recording software package called Gatekeeper Express+.
Client farmers can enter their records digitally on a cloud platform.
“We believe that farmers who utilise this software will be in a better position to calculate returns per crop, variety, field or farm, and be in a stronger position to make changes based on specific areas or across the farm, than those who don’t have a system in place,” Phelan added.
“The reports are also suitable for cross-compliance purposes and can help to reduce the workload on farmers.
“The Gatekeeper system is designed to save time and improve accuracy on farm, allowing farmers to set up records and enter data in just a few minutes.”
Being cloud based, the software can be accessed via a web browser, reducing the cost of entry and reliance on specific hardware, according to Teagasc.
“Coupled with its accompanying in-field recording app, Gatekeeper Cloud will not only support more efficient daily workflows, but make demonstrating compliance far easier,” Phelan continued.
“Farmers can also connect to their advisor who is using Gatekeeper Agronomist to get field recommendations sent directly to their account.”