The Tillage Edge

Ciaran Collins joins Shay Phelan on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to discuss winter oilseed rape as an option for tillage farmers. Ciaran discusses the performance of the crop this harvest, the benefits of having break crops in the rotation and the early crop management including variety choice, drilling and weed control. Finally, Ciaran looks at the profitability of winter oilseed rape compare...

This week’s Tillage Edge podcast with Eoin Lyons discusses harvest 2020 with Teagasc tillage advisors Ciaran Hickey and Conor O Callaghan to see how progress is going to date and how crops are yielding in the south and north-east of the country. For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ The Tillage Edge is a c...

The function and benefits of cover crops on your farm is the topic on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast and Michael Hennessy was joined by Richie Hackett, Teagasc Oak Park, to find out more. Richie explained that these crops can catch nutrients such as nitrate (and slow the overland flow of soil thus reducing phosphorus runoff), can protect or enhance the soil, can contribute nutrients to the next...

This week, the Tillage Edge podcast gets a crops harvest update from the counties of Cork and Carlow with Phelim McDonald of Teagasc, Carlow and Elaine Clifford, Teagasc, Cork joining presenter Michael Hennessy with the latest information. Firstly, Phelim gives an update on how the harvest is progressing so far in Carlow, explaining that there is between a third and a half of the area completed so...

Shay Phelan, Crops & Potato Specialist, Teagasc, Oak Park joined Mark Plunkett on the Tillage Edge podcast this week.  Shay discussed potato blight control, blight programmes, products available and their effective use. There was also an update on potato crops in 2020 and expected market supply, plus development of resistant strains of blight was also discussed on the programme. For more episo...

Pat Farrell, IFA Grain & Horticulture Executive joined Mark Plunkett on this week’s episode of the Tillage Edge with Pat giving an update on the expected tonnage for the grain harvest both locally and internationally as well as prices for 2020.  Pat also discussed many factors impacting grain prices here in Ireland from maize corn, forward selling to Covid 19.  It was highlighted that oilseeds...

Dermot Forristal was the guest on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to speak to Michael Hennessy about combine set up and also the importance of stopping grass weed seeds spreading during harvest.  Crop through put, crop losses and quality are important factors in setting up the combine according to Dermot.  “Adjustment varies according to combine make but in order to get the set up correct machine...

Gordon Rennick, PRCD, for the Department of Agriculture and Marine joined Michael Hennessy on the Tillage Edge podcast this week.  Gordon explained that PRCD stands for the Pesticide Registration and Control Division of the Department of Agriculture and the unit has a wide range of roles from registering pesticides, residue testing, inspecting retail and farmers along with a host of other diverse...

Francis Blight, Teagasc Health and Safety Specialist joined Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to discuss machinery safety for young drivers and also other safety areas around the farmyard.  Francis told the Tillage Edge there was no change in legislation regarding young drivers operating larger and faster tractors.  Therefore, there is increased onus on the owner of the machiner...

On the Teagasc Tillage Edge podcast this week, Michael Hennessy was joined by Liz Glynn of Corteva, who chatted about broad leaf weed control and herbicide resistance issues in Ireland. Liz told the Tillage Edge there are problems with broad leaved weeds escaping uncontrolled or partially controlled through to harvest. Liz said farmers need to check a number of areas such as weed type, weed size,...

Joining Michael Hennessy was Eoin Lyons, Teagasc Boortmalt Joint Program advisor who told Michael that there is quite a difference in crops across the south east region where he works.     South Wexford has quite good crops whereas the further north (probably from Bunclody) crops are poorer with some very disappointing crops evident now.  The past couple of weeks dry and very warm weather were par...

With the current heat, many crops are growing rapidly, where moisture is not limiting.  Irrigation will maintain and drive on this growth rate. This new growth is more susceptible to blight and difficult to keep protected due to the amount of new leaf material produced each week. Irrigation (or rain) will create humidity and leaf wetness making ideal conditions for blight spread.    There has alre...

Tillage grass weeds including wild oats and blackgrass were the topic for discussion on this week’s Tillage Edge and Michael Hennessy was joined by Jimmy Staples, manager of the Enable Conservation Agriculture project in Teagasc.   Jimmy told Michael that the major weeds like wild oats, bromes and blackgrass are in every county across the country and the incidence is increasing year on year.    He...

On this bonus episode of the Tillage Edge, we're bringing you our virtual crop walk from Oak Park focusing on winter wheat.   Because of Covid-19, Teagasc's normal crop walk couldn't take place, but instead we were able to bring you an interactive version with crops specialist, Stephen Kildea, as well as John Hogan, Oak Park's Farm Manager to give us an idea of what the winter wheat is looking lik...

On this bonus episode of the Tillage Edge, we're bringing you our virtual crop walk from Oak Park focusing on spring barley.    Because of Covid-19, Teagasc's normal crop walk couldn't take place, but instead we were able to bring you an interactive version with crops specialist, Ciaran Collins, as well as John Hogan, Oak Park's Farm Manager to give us an idea of what the spring barley is looking...

John Spink, Head of the Crops Environment and Land Use Programme in Teagasc joined Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat about the difficulties of getting trials into the ground this year and the prospects for crops for the year ahead.     He said the dry soils in Oak Park allowed trafficability where other soils would not.  Due to this almost all crops were planted into gen...

On this bonus episode of the Tillage Edge, we're bringing you our virtual crop walk from Oak Park focusing on winter barley. Because of Covid-19, Teagasc's normal crop walk couldn't take place, but instead we were able to bring you an interactive version with crops specialist, Shay Phelan as well as John Hogan, Oak Park's Farm Manager to give us an idea of what the winter barley is looking like. F...

On the Teagasc Tillage Edge podcast this week, Michael Hennessy was joined by Deirdre Doyle, Technologist in Oak Park, Carlow who chatted about disease control in spring barley.     Deirdre explained that crops were very clean at the moment, partly aided by the recent dry weather, and by reasonably good varietal resistance to fungal diseases.    She pointed out that, despite the lack of disease at...

This week’s Teagasc Tillage Edge podcast is discussing weed control strategies in spring barley with Eoin Lyons, a Teagasc advisor working in the Teagasc/Boortmalt Joint programme   Eoin told presenter, Michael Hennessy, that although seedbeds and establishment were generally excellent crops are suffering from drought stress, especially in the eastern half of the country.     He pointed out there...

Tillage Specialist Ciaran Collins joins Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge to discuss aphids and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus or BYDV.     Ciaran outlined that all the spring cereals (wheat, barley and oats) are potentially at risk from BYDV infection and indicated that trial results has shown yield decreased of 2 tons per hectare due to BYDV.     The best timing for control is at the 4 lea...

This week’s guest on the Tillage Edge is Dr Steven Kildea, Researcher in Teagasc, to discuss disease control strategies in winter wheat.     Stephen first discussed the effect of later planted crops and low disease levels following the recent very dry weather.  Steven pointed out there is still plenty of disease within crops and it’s the weather from now that will dictate how that disease develops...

On the first episode of Teagasc's Tillage Edge podcast, Michael Hennessy was joined by Dr. Richie Hackett to discuss nitrogen strategies in winter cereals and also malting barley.  Richie has a wealth of research expertise and is the main researcher in this area in Ireland.     Winter crops took a battering last autumn from later than normal planting combined with constant wet soil conditions all...

The Tillage Edge, Teagasc's new tillage podcast, presented by Michael Hennessy, is coming soon. During the Coivd-19 crisis we'll be bringing you weekly episodes covering agronomy needs of crops throughout the season with input from Teagasc researchers and views from across the industry. Subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia .