Spraying

The recent drier weather is welcome, although for most there is a lot of drying to be done before land can be worked. The coming days may provide an opportunity for some spraying to be done. Green covers may need to be sprayed off. Remember, uncultivated stubbles cannot be sprayed until 1 February, unless a crop is being planted immediately.

Many people have to catch up on spraying of winter crops as well. Consult with your adviser on the best option to take. You will need to control weeds that are up, so a contact will be needed.

Firebird Met has had a change to registration. Its latest timing of application was 30 November, but is now GS25. There is more frost on the way and crops are under stress, so try to apply in milder conditions where possible.

Seed

We’ve all heard by now of the seed shortage forecast for spring time. Try and calculate seed requirements early and order your seed soon to secure supply.

Planting

If conditions allow, you can still plant winter wheat in January and February, as there is a spring seed shortage. There is a risk you may have to use imported seed and settle for varieties which you may not wish to sow.

Planting winter wheat means you can plant with certified Irish seed. Crows will be a big issue. Keep seed rates high and talk to your adviser about this, as varieties and seed batches will differ. Beans can also be planted early, but plant them deep. A strip-till drill can work really well for beans and allows you to introduce some reduced tillage to your rotation and reduce costs.

Soil sampling

It has been very wet over autumn for soil sampling, so many of you may still need to take samples. Gather them as soon as possible, so you get them back in time for fertiliser orders and nutrient management plans. You need a soil sample once every 4ha, every three to five years. If soil samples are not in date, then tillage farmers must assume index 4 for phosphorus.

Fertiliser

It is important to note that if a winter crop is planted in January or February, then it is considered a spring crop for management.

This means it can only receive the fertiliser allowance of a spring crop, which is lower than that of winter wheat. If you do intend to plant winter seed, then keep this in mind when ordering fertiliser and calculating fertiliser requirements.

Slurry

Slurry can be spread in zone A from 13 January, but to get the most use out of it, it should be spread nearer to when it will be used. If possible, incorporate it into seedbeds for spring crops in good conditions.

You must use low emission slurry spreading equipment to spread slurry where your grassland stocking rate is 130kg/ha or more, or incorporate it into the soil within 24 hours of spreading.