From the Tramlines: all systems go in dry weather

Ballycotton, Co Cork

The settled weather has allowed Brian to get a mountain of fieldwork done in the past few weeks.

The winter crops have received their compound fertiliser and nitrogen is being applied this week.

All crops look well except for the storm-damaged wheat. Brian estimates only 25% of plants are remaining, so he has decided to replant this with oats. He began spreading slurry on the winter wheat but found that the ground was still quite tender, so he did not continue.

The winter oilseed rape received 435kg/ha (176kg/ac) of CAN in the first week of March. The crop got heavily grazed by pigeons as the field is surrounded by trees. Brian hopes a bit of warmth will help this to drive on soon.

Lynx spring beans were strip-tilled in at 173kg/ha three weeks ago. Brian broadcast 307kg/ha (125kg/ac) of 0-7-30 before drilling. A pre-emergence herbicide of Stallion Sync Tech (3l/ha) was applied afterwards.

The last of the sugar beet was pulled a couple of weeks ago and averaged 30t/ac. He ploughed straight after the field was cleared. A Simba Unipress was then used to create a seedbed before planting Duncan spring wheat for seed at 169kg/ha with a one-pass. Brian applied 435kg/ha (176kg/ac) of 13-6-20 before sowing.

Laureate spring malting barley is currently being planted. Brian usually ploughs before spring barley but this year the ground is being min-tilled and is turning up very nicely. Cattle slurry is being imported and spread before min-tilling. Brian has slurry on the farm, but he imports slurry from farmers closer to outblocks to cut down on transport.

Crows were a bit of an issue after planting in the last few weeks for Brian, but he says this has subsided in the past week as more farmers get crops into the ground.

Brian notes that there is plenty of help on the farm as a Kildalton College student is doing placement with him for the spring.

Clohamon, Co Wexford

The recent dry weather has seen Barty plant a lot of his spring malting barley four and a half weeks earlier than last year.

The variety is Florence and it was sown at 193kg/ha last week; 375kg/ha (150kg/ac) of compound fertiliser was sown with the seed. The ground ploughed up nicely and conditions were ideal at drilling. Barty left the fields to dry for a day or two before rolling. It marks a huge difference to last spring, when the barley was not planted until April. Hopes are high that this barley will get off to the best possible start, and that harvest will be earlier this year.

However, Barty says that he is reluctant to plough and sow his outfarm just yet. The ground is heavier than the rest of his farm that is quite light, and it is also at a higher elevation. It would usually not be planted until near the end of March due to this heaviness and being slightly colder.

He has also heard that some wetter soils are becoming very hard locally after being ploughed due to the drying easterly wind. Barty also planted spring oats recently to comply with the three-crop rule. WPB Isabel was drilled at 195kg/ha and was rolled afterwards too.

The Orcade winter barley has woken up in the past couple of weeks, but it needs a bit of warmth and sun now. After the compound fertiliser was applied three weeks ago, Barty went back this week with the first split of nitrogen, applying 68kg N/ha (54 units N/ac) . He also wants to apply a plant growth regulator soon as the crop is reaching GS30, but the weather has been too harsh recently, so he will wait until the temperatures at night rise to ensure it does not stress the crop too much. As growth is still slow, he does not mind too much.

Muff, Co Donegal

Donald could do with another two weeks of dry weather in Donegal. Ploughing is pretty much complete on the farm, and organic early potatoes have been planted in great conditions. The variety Kelly is blight-resistant, and Donald is aiming for a mid-August harvest, anything before this will be a bonus. The remaining seed potatoes are being graded and will be planted at the end of the month.

All potatoes are sold locally, both to shops and individual customers. Donald aims to produce a top-quality product for his customers and says that doing this allows him to make a living off a small acreage that would not be possible from conventional farming.

He started a partial conversion from a conventional calf-to-beef farm to organic tillage in 2016, with the full farm becoming organic in 2020. Donald says that he was very green at the beginning, but that he quickly learned with the help of other organic growers.

He also says that “it’s not us against them” in terms of conventional farmers, and that organic farmers can learn a lot from them and vice versa. Donald says that intensive farming is still needed to feed the growing global population, but organic farming suits certain farms and certain farmers.

While the first couple of years as an organic grower went well for the horticultural side of the farm, the cereals did not go quite as well. He notes that it was a huge change, and the soil was not quite ready for it.

After a couple of poor years, he introduced combi-crops, and this has been transformative. The peas in the mix provide nitrogen for the barley and oats, and he has seen a dramatic improvement in soil structure. Straw chopping and spreading some compost also helped in this regard.

While the organic sector is doing well currently, Donald notes that support is required in the next CAP to support farmers, to promote the sector and to get consumers to buy into it.