Ireland’s leading weekly tillage series, From the Tramlines, returns for 2022. It’s safe to say that many tillage farmers are facing into a year like no other. With record input prices and supply uncertainly, the stakes are high.

However, at national level, it has never been as important to secure our supply of indigenous grain. At long last the penny has dropped that a country’s agricultural industry cannot be based on one sector alone.

This mindset has seen our tillage area steadily decline over the past decade.

And it is this mindset that has led to the need for tough decisions to be made on livestock farms over the coming year as our global feed supply chain becomes less certain.

After years of being written off, the importance of a healthy, profitable and sustainable tillage industry in Ireland has never been as high. So despite the risks this season, it is a good time to be a tillage farmer.

From the Tramlines aims to give readers on-the-ground updates directly from Ireland’s tillage fields across the country. Over the coming 34 weeks the Irish Farmers Journal tillage team will be following 12 of Ireland’s top growers from all around the island, keeping an eye on their management decisions and cropping progress.

New faces

This year we welcome back Iain Mcmordie from Down and Seamus Duggan from Laois who took part in the series in 2021. In addition, we also welcome 10 new growers.

This year’s growers are producing a range of crops across several management systems and farm structures. Crops grown by the farmers this year include cereals, legumes, brassicas, potatoes, beet and maize, using various establishment systems including plough-based, minimum tillage and direct drilling.

Seamus returns for a second year of From the Tramlines. He runs a mixed tillage and livestock farm enterprise in Lakefield, Durrow. His land is light and free-draining. Up until 2021, most of his cereal area was sown under spring barley. However, after growing winter malting barley last year for the first time and comfortably meeting the grade, he decided to grow the crop again this year.

He is also growing spring malting barley and spring barley for seed this year.

His malting barley is grown for Boortmalt and Waterford Distillery.

Seamus also grows around 50ac of fodder beet. He runs a plough-based system and around 50% of his land base is owned with the remainder rented and share-farmed. He is a member of the Talamh Nua discussion group and the IFA malting barley committee.

Patrick farms close to Bunclody, Wexford, using a plough-based system on relatively dry, light soil.

He grows winter barley, spring barley and spring beans along with grass across his 210ac farm.

His winter barley and beans are grown for feed while his spring barley is grown for the malting and roasting markets.

This is his first year growing beans since 2018 due to rotational clashes.

He grows around 40ac of cover crops on his farm each year for GLAS but also uses it as winter feed for his livestock.

He keeps around 200 New Zealand Romney breeding ewes and has a small beef enterprise. He farms along with his wife Mairead with the help of his younger brother Andrew. Patrick is a member of the Model County discussion group.

Derek returned home to farm full-time shortly after completing an Agricultural Science degree from UCD in 2019.

He farms alongside his father David in north county Dublin. He also works with his three uncles and two cousins on the farm.

They grow a range of crops including winter barley, winter wheat, winter oats, winter oilseed rape, potatoes and onions.

They generally tend to grow winter crops instead of spring crops. The cereals are grown for feed and the onions are grown for the Irish market.

They grow early Queens potatoes as well as ware Roosters and Kerr’s Pink which are stored on site in fridges.

They generally farm heavy brown earth soils but irrigation can still be required for onions and early potato crops. The farm receives around 750mm of rainfall per year.

Iain returns for a second year of From the Tramlines.

He farms in Killough, Downpatrick, alongside his business partner and neighbour John Gill.

The pair run a busy tillage farm across owned and share-farmed land.

This year they’re growing winter wheat, winter barley, winter oilseed rape, spring oats and spring beans. They grow oats for seed and Whites Oats, some winter wheat for seed and the rest is for feed.

They are considering growing spring malting barley next year.

Grain is dried using an underfloor drying system. Crops are established using a minimum tillage system with a Claydon drill.

Soil types vary, from stony clay subsoil to silty and sandy clay loam.

Iain and John share-farm under a limited company, Rossglass Haylage Ltd, which was formed in 2006.

Daniel farms in Roberts Cove, Cork, with his brother Con, his father Donal and mother Margaret.

Their land type would be described as sharp and free-draining but like most farms, there are a number of heavier spots in certain fields.

They grow winter barley, spring wheat, spring oats, spring barley fodder and sugar beet. Around 80% of these crops are destined for feed. A proportion of his spring barley is destined for malt.

They dry and store their own grain and also dry and store on contract. They have up to 12,000t storage capacity. They also bale, store and deliver a large volume of straw.

Around 25% of what they farm is owned with the rest either rented or leased. They run a plough-based system and the farm receives around 1250mm of rainfall each year.

Michael farms with his father Sean and uncle Liam in Newtowncunningham, Donegal, in a tillage area known as the Laggan Valley. His soil type would be classed as clay loam and relatively free-draining, although there are a few wet patches on the farm. This year he is growing winter barley, winter wheat, spring barley and spring oats. His winter barley and some of his spring barley are grown for malt while the other crops are grown for feed.

He normally has potatoes in the rotation and around one-third of his 300ac farm is in grass. He also lambs 140 ewes and has 30 suckler cows which calve in May. Michael runs a plough-based system. He is a member of the Teagasc Donegal Cereals and Sheep discussion groups. His farm receives around 1,300mm of rainfall per year.

Eamonn farms in Slane, Co Meath alongside his uncle Thomas and cousin Paul. They run a plough-based establishment system across 1,000ac.

This year they are growing winter wheat, winter oilseed rape, winter barley, winter oats and spring oats. His oats are supplied to Deeside Agri. The remainder of the grain will be used for feed. He dries and stores some of this grain on site.

Soil types vary from dry, free-draining to heavy peat soils depending on the field and location. Around about half of the landbase is owned, 30% is leased while 20% is share-farmed. Eamonn is a member of the IFA and the Irish Grain Growers.

His farm receives around 850mm of rainfall annually.

James farms on the foot of the Knockmealdown Mountains in Tipperary.

This year he is growing winter barley, winter wheat, HEAR (High Erucic Acid Rape) winter oilseed rape, equine winter oats, winter rye and spring malting barley. His oilseed, oats and spring barley are grown for Glanbia while his other crops are dried and sold for feed. He farms just over 1,000ac, around 90% of which is rented. He runs a minimum tillage system and describes his soil type as medium to light loam. He grows cover crops on land destined for spring crops which are then incorporated into the soil before drilling.

James farms alongside his wife Sinead with the help of his children and father and mother. He is a member of the Golden Valley discussion group. His farm receives around 1,000mm of rainfall each year.

Kenny farms in the northwest of Northern Ireland, just outside Derry city, with his sons Stephen and Gareth.

He grows winter barley, winter wheat, winter oilseed rape, spring barley, spring oats and spring wheat. All of these crops, with the exception of the oilseed, are destined for seed which is assembled through his business Northwest Seeds. He dries, cleans and packs seed on his home farm which is then sold throughout the island of Ireland.

His soil type ranges from black sandy to heavy, reclaimed clay soil. He mostly runs a plough-based system and around 95% of the 500ac which he farms is rented. He is a member of a tillage discussion group and purchasing group. He also manages around 200ac of tillage crops for dairy farmers.

His farm receives around 1,200mm of rainfall annually.

Shane farms on the Wild Atlantic Way in Finavarra, Co Clare.

Most of his land is light, dry, limestone land and in a dry year, lack of moisture can be an issue. He grows winter barley, spring barley and spring oats, all of which are grown for feed. He supplies some of the grain locally while the rest is supplied to Flynns of Lackagh. He also grows fodder beet.

Around 95% of the 200ac he farms is rented or leased. He also runs a busy machinery garage and a pit silage, fertiliser spreading and hedge-cutting contracting enterprise. He is a member of Irish Grain Assurance Scheme and a member of the Association of Farm & Forestry Contractors in Ireland. His farm receives around 1,400mm of rainfall annually.

Stuart farms alongside his brother Colm and father Leonard in Avoca, Co Wicklow. This year they are growing winter oilseed rape, winter barley, winter wheat, winter oats, spring beans, spring oats and spring barley. Most of their crops are destined for feed but his spring barley is grown for roasting and malting.

He farms across various soil types, ranging from light to heavy. The farm moved away from ploughing in 2015 to strip tilling, then to minimum tillage and eventually to direct drilling. Most of his cereals are now established with a John Deere 750A direct drill. Around 15% of what they farm is owned, with the remainder rented or leased.

Stuart is a member of Base Ireland and the Teagasc East Coast tillage discussion group. The farm receives around 1,000mm of rainfall annually.

George and his wife Muirghin farm in partnership with family in Carlow.

He grows a wide range of crops including two-row and hybrid winter barley seed as well as spring oilseed rape and spring bean seed. He grows winter wheat and spring barley for feed as well as winter oats. He also grows maize and sugar beet.

George also runs a store to beef enterprise with mainly continental cattle. His land is free draining but prone to drought in low rainfall summers. As well as his own land they farm under a number of farming agreements. He runs both a plough-based and minimum tillage establishment system depending on the previous crop. George is a member of the Tullow Tillage discussion group and is on the IFA environmental committee.