Having an optimistic view is one of the cornerstones for all farmers, and although undoubtedly there will be challenges in 2024, there are plenty of areas that tillage farmers can still be positive about. Farmers are playing catch-up in terms of planted area on most farms which may present some difficulties in the early part of the season, but if the weather co-operates, then hopefully farmers can establish the desired crops. To discuss what 2024 holds, Teagasc Tillage Specialists, Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins join Michael Hennessy on the first Tillage Edge podcast of the year to discuss what to expect and how to plan for the year ahead.  Teagasc Survey Teagasc have launched a survey to help identify the areas planted this autumn.  The wet conditions have persisted from mid-September to late-November hindering planting in all areas.  This loss of winter crop area this autumn looks to be compounded by a lack of seed for spring cereals, which may lead to unsown land on many farms in 2024.  Teagasc are asking for as many tillage farmers as possible to participate in order to get the best picture of the national areas as possible. How much planting have you completed this Autumn? Will you plant more winter cereal in Jan/Feb? We would like to get your feedback to create a national picture of winter plants this year and your intentions for 2024.    See the link below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9VQ2CQD For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Grass weeds are a problem on almost all farms in Ireland and the scale of the increase and the measures necessary to control them is less well known.  Black grass is in every county in the country and while it can be relatively easy to keep it out, it takes vigilance.To get a better insight into the topic, this week’s Tillage Edge podcast features Dr. Sarah Cook from ADAS in the UK, who spoke at the ECT Grass Weed Conference in November about black grass and how to eliminate it from farms.You can also view the presentation at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOtyctCulNg&ab_channel=TeagascCrops Teagasc SurveyTeagasc have launched a survey to help identify the areas planted this autumn.  The wet conditions have persisted from mid-September to late-November hindering planting in all areas.  This loss of winter crop area this autumn looks to be compounded by a lack of seed for spring cereals, which may lead to unsown land on many farms in 2024.  Teagasc are asking for as many tillage farmers as possible to participate in order to get the best picture of the national areas as possible.How much planting have you completed this Autumn? Will you plant more winter cereal in Jan/Feb? We would like to get your feedback to create a national picture of winter plants this year and your intentions for 2024.   See the link below:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9VQ2CQDFor more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/                               Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com 

As the end of the year approaches, most tillage farmers will want to forget 2023.  Unfortunately it will be remembered as a year of weather extremes and the resulting difficulties.But it is beneficial to look back on how we dealt with the year and if we would have made any decisions differently.To look back on the tillage year that was, Teagasc Tillage Specialists, Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan join this week’s show.Teagasc SurveyTeagasc have launched a survey to help identify the areas planted this autumn.  The wet conditions have persisted from mid-September to late-November hindering planting in all areas.  This loss of winter crop area this autumn looks to be compounded by a lack of seed for spring cereals, which may lead to unsown land on many farms in 2024.  Teagasc are asking for as many tillage farmers as possible to participate in order to get the best picture of the national areas as possible. How much planting have you completed this Autumn? Will you plant more winter cereal in Jan/Feb? We would like to get your feedback to create a national picture of winter plants this year and your intentions for 2024.    See the link belowhttps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9VQ2CQDFor more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/                               Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com 

The grain markets over the past few months have not hit the headlines but are still happily functioning in the background.   On the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Phelim Dolan, a grain trader in Comex-McKinnon, chats to Michael Hennessy about the current markets and what to expect in the coming months. Phelim highlights how the world had a good harvest in 2023 and the stocks-to-use-ratio are quite comfortable.   The market has bumped along within a narrow range for the past few months but is in a downward trajectory.  According to Phelim a large shock is needed for the markets to kick start into an upward trend.  For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/                                Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com 

Sprayer frost damage becomes apparent after the thaw and often when the machine is needed next and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Dermot Forristal, a researcher in Teagasc, joins Michael Hennessy to talk about protecting sprayers and tractors from frost over the winter. Dermot highlights the importance of getting the dilution of the antifreeze correct.  He says farmers need to factor in the water that is already in the sprayer in the overall dilution calculation.   Dermot also touches on tractor maintenance especially for batteries and he stresses farmers should ensure replacement batteries are correctly sized (amp capacity) for cold weather starting.  For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/                                Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com 

In the second of a two part series on drainage, Michael Hennessy continues his discussion with Pat Tuohy, a researcher in Teagasc dealing with soil hydrology and drainage, to talk about field drainage issues on tillage farms. Pat discusses how it is important to identify the sub-surface layer to a depth of 2.5m.  This layer will dictate how the overall area should be drained.  Where the layer is generally impermeable to water (like grey marl), shallower and more frequent drains will be needed.  However where there is evidence of water movement at depth deeper drains are more suitable.  For more information on drainage go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/environment/soil/Teagasc_Drainage_Manual_2022.pdf  For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/                                Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com 

Very few of the emerged winter cereal crops have received a herbicide this autumn.  Pre-emergence herbicides are generally the corner of weed control in winter cereals but this year alternative options will be needed.    Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both tillage specialists in Teagasc, join the Tillage Edge podcast to discuss the options for weed control in winter cereals over the coming weeks. Both specialists agreed that crop health had to be foremost in mind before applying a herbicide and you should delay the application of herbicides to crops, especially winter barley, which are struggling due to wet soils, slugs, etc.   The herbicide choices for winter wheat are broader than for barley or oats.  Grass weeds need to be considered first for control.    For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/                                Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The wet autumn has shown up areas in all farms which are wet and may need some drainage attention in the coming months or years.   This is the first of two episodes where Michael Hennessy talks to Pat Tuohy, a researcher in Teagasc dealing with soil hydrology and drainage, about how to deal with field drainage issues on tillage farms. Pat advocates regular maintenance of drains to be the starting point of any work.  He says more frequent interventions will prevent larger problems and will help to protect rivers from excessive sediment loss during clean-up operations.  For more information on drainage go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/environment/soil/Teagasc_Drainage_Manual_2022.pdf For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/                                Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Farmers in the UK are struggling with wet conditions and Andrew Mahon, an Irish farm manager in the heart of England, is on the latest Tillage Edge podcast to chat about the farm he manages and the wider experience of farmers across the UK.   Andy says they missed the very heavy rains and he managed to plant almost all the crops on time.  However, about 40 hectares of the planted crops are not in a great condition.   Andy also talks about the threat of blackgrass on the farm. Where crops were thin last year blackgrass took over and trimmed about 2 t/ha of the yield.   Consequently, the herbicide load to keep blackgrass at bay is heavy and this comes with a high cost of £100-£140/ha (€115-172/ha).      For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/                                Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Brendan Burke, the farm manager in Teagasc Oak Park, Carlow, joined the Tillage Edge this week to talk about the progress on the research farm over the past few months.   Similar to other farms in the area, Brendan said there is about 80% of the normal plantings completed to date. Brendan talked about the extra difficulties of planting around trial plots and having to be careful with the application of manures to land so that these do not interfere with future trials.   Brendan does not have any herbicides applied this year but hopes for a break in the weather in November to get started.  For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/                                Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com