A total of 22 growers will take part in Boortmalt’s sustainability programme with Soil Capital this year. Boortmalt displayed figures at the IFA’s national
malting barley meeting on Monday, showing 2,379ha of malting barley was enrolled in the programme, giving a projected tonnage of 15,200t.
A total of 22 growers will take part in Boortmalt’s sustainability programme with Soil Capital this year.
Boortmalt displayed figures at the IFA’s national malting barley meeting on Monday, showing 2,379ha of malting barley was enrolled in the programme, giving a projected tonnage of 15,200t.
This equates to an average malting barley area of 108ha on the farms and an average tonnage of 690t.
That’s an average yield of 6.4t/ha (2.6t/ac). The total area enrolled in the programme is 5,400ha giving an average farm size of 245ha.
The average size of a tillage farm in 2023 was 73ha according to Teagasc National Farm Survey data.
Some growers at the meeting are looking at 2t/ac contracts, following cuts, so in that case the sustainability payments would not be as impactful as someone on a 3t/ac contract, for example, as they can get more tonnes over the line.
The figures from the programme appear to show a change in malting barley grower demographics. It seems the sector is moving away from the traditional smaller growers.
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