On average farmers report that growers in the Kinsale region have 30% left to harvest, while further west into Clonakilty many growers have well over 50% left.

Hundreds of acres of corn in some of the earliest grain- and grass-growing parts of the country have yet to be harvested. Straw that was combined three weeks ago remains flat on the fields as farmers have not got suitable drying weather to allow them bale it up.

Some of the crops yet to be harvested are winter crops that failed due to salt burn and were re-sown in spring. Spring-sown crops that should have been harvested in the first week of September are struggling to stay up as rain and foggy mist is blackening grains and breaking down straw.

The Irish Farmers Journal was taken to a number of fields in the Kinsale, Ballinspittle and Belgooly area in recent days where the grain has begun to sprout. The green shoots are emerging from ripened grains which effectively will reduce bushel weight and tonnage yield.

In a number of the fields the headlands had been cut two weeks ago but the rest of the crop was still standing today.

From listening to the growers and walking the fields of corn there is no doubt, irrespective of what happens the weather in the next week, it is merely a salvage operation to harvest the remaining grain. A combination of skinning, the grain exposed and pink in colour, blackening and rotting straw means whatever happens it will not cover costs of production.

Read more

Harvest moves to salvage mode