Lodging is the predominant problem tillage farmers face across the country as the spring barley harvest gets under way.

The “ferocious wind and rain” in the last two weeks has driven crops even further into the ground, according to Southern Fuel and Farm Supplies agronomist Mark Hosford.

“The big talking point down here [in east Cork] is we’ve a lot of spring malting barley and a lot of it has gone over.

“To see it on the ground and the potential loss of tonnage and loss of malting, it’s tough.

“We’ve had over 150mm of rain in Cork for the month of July and it really has battered both winter and spring crops. It’s been very tricky to get any harvesting done,” he said.

Spring barley, which was sown in late February and early March, is ready and being cut across the country with yields averaging between 2.5t/ac and 3.5t/ac. However, there are still parts where it is still far too wet to get into fields.

Protein specs for malting barley are doing well, according to reports. However, bushels on spring crops are back on last year and are becoming a problem in some areas.

“We’re seeing anything from 62kph to 66kph and the problem with that is the cut-off for the malting is 63kph,” Hosford said.

Winter barley in the east and south of Cork is well wrapped up, according to Hosford.

Winter-sown malting barley has averaged between 3t/ac and 3.8t/ac, while bushels were ranging in the mid-60s and moistures in the high teens.

The winter wheat harvest has also started across the country in the last week with reports of yields hitting over 4t/ac.

Wicklow-based tillage farmer Stuart Fitzgerald told the Irish Farmers Journal that this year’s harvest has been the worst he has ever experienced with yields way back on last year.

Oilseed rape is almost all wrapped up across the country, with yields between 1.6t/ac and 1.8t/ac. Last week, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue announced a 14-day extension to the shallow cultivation rule as a result of the current weather conditions. .