The Tillage Edge

Dermot Forristal from Teagasc Oak Park, explores how combine harvesters have evolved over the past 60 years on this week’s Tillage Edge.   From mechanical threshers to GPS-enabled machines, Dermot shares insights on key developments, the impact of farm size, and underused technologies that could boost efficiency. This is part one of a two-part series on combines.   For more episodes and informatio...

Teagasc Tillage Specialists, Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, discuss the harvest so far on this week’s Tillage Edge.   They discuss how, to date, winter barley yields have been above the five-year average.    However, Shay also highlights that some varieties have not performed as well as others.   Ciaran emphasises the importance of managing stubbles — both for compliance and weed control — and ad...

Tom Kelly, Scheme Manager of the Irish Grain Assurance Scheme, joins us on this week’s Tillage Edge to discuss how Irish grain meets high quality standards.    We explore the key elements of the scheme, its role in ensuring traceability and market confidence, and what it means for farmers on the ground.   Tom also outlines new requirements around trailer identification and what farmers need to do...

We continue our coverage from the recent Teagasc Crops and Technology Open Day in Oak Park, Carlow.    Michael Hennessy speaks with John Spink about the launch of the Tillage AgNav programme which is an important new decision support tool for Irish tillage farmers.    Richie Hackett shares advice on growing winter rye, a crop gaining popularity in recent years.   And Stephen Kildea discusses wheat...

For this week’s Tillage Edge, we bring you highlights from the Teagasc Crops & Technology Open Day in Oak Park, Carlow.    Michael Hennessy chats with Dr. Ewen Mullins about the event and farmer feedback, Veronica Nyhan gives a tour of the soil pit, and Jack Jameson discusses his wheat variety trials.    Packed with practical insights and research updates, this episode captures key moments fro...

The Teagasc Crops and Technology Open Day is taking place next week in Oak Park and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Dr Ewen Mullins, Head of Crops Research, and Dermot Forristal, Crops Researcher in Teagasc, preview the event.   As Ewen explains, it will take people most of the day to get through the full array of research and agronomy stands, crop workshops and machinery demonstrations, not...

Sprayer technology has advanced significantly over the past decade, yet the core principle remains the same: delivering the correct spray quality and rate to the target area.   For this week’s Tillage Edge podcast - the second of a two-part series with Dermot Forristal, a researcher with Teagasc - Dermot discusses the latest developments in sprayer technology, including nozzle technology and where...

The grain harvest in the United States has a significant impact on global markets - and directly influences harvest prices here in Ireland.   So, for this week’s Tillage Edge, Brian Caldbeck, an Irishman running a seed business in Kentucky, returns to the show to discuss how US farmers are faring this season.   Brian explains that farmers in the Kentucky area are currently facing very wet conditio...

Sprayer technology has advanced significantly over the past decade, yet the core principle remains the same: delivering the correct spray quality and rate to the target area. For this week's Tillage Edge podcast — the first of a two-part series — Dermot Forristal, researcher with Teagasc, discusses the latest developments in sprayer technology and how these innovations can support farmers in the d...

Challenges like weather, product availability and varying soil types often means that blanket applications are the norm rather than precise, targeted inputs.   This week, the Tillage Signpost programme held an event at Don Somers’ farm in county Wexford to explore how he’s applying inputs with greater accuracy and Michael Hennessy spoke to Don on the latest Tillage Edge podcast to find out more.  ...

The dry conditions over the past 10 days - and with no rain in the forecast - means that spring crops in particular, are coming under pressure.    John Pettit, a Teagasc tillage advisor in Wexford, and Ciaran Collins, a Teagasc tillage specialist, join the Tillage Edge this week to discuss the key agronomy actions needed over the next week to 10 days.   Both John and Ciaran acknowledge the impact...

The coming weeks are critical for controlling foliar diseases in cereal crops and Dr Stephen Kildea, researcher at Teagasc Oak Park, joins the Tillage Edge this week to discuss the best disease management strategies for the weather conditions expected in May 2025.      Stephen highlights the increased yellow rust pressure in some crops. “The main fungicide timings should be adequate to control thi...

Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both tillage specialists with Teagasc, join the Tillage Edge this week to discuss the key actions needed in crops over the next 7 to 10 days.   We also hear from Andy Mahon, a Dubliner and farm manager in the UK, who shares his experience of the 2025 season so far.    Andy highlights the stark realities facing UK farmers following the loss of direct payments and ref...

The plough remains the most widely used crop establishment system in Ireland, but alternative methods can be just as effective under the right conditions.    In this Tillage Edge episode, the first of two parts, Michael Hennessy is joined by Dermot Forristal, a Crops and Machinery Researcher at Teagasc Oak Park, to explore the history and evolution of cultivation systems in Irish tillage farming....

The on-again, off-again tariffs being proposed by the US may have significant implications for Irish tillage farmers in the months and years ahead.     For this episode of The Tillage Edge, Michael Hennessy is joined by Professor Michael Wallace, economist of agriculture and food in UCD, to discuss the potential effects of these global trade developments on the Irish tillage sector.   Professor Wa...

With crop inputs being applied weekly, farmers and agronomists face constant decisions around product choice, application timing, and overall strategy.    For this episode of The Tillage Edge, Denis Dunne, Trials Manager at Seedtech, joins us to discuss how he uses the Teagasc Crop Report as a vital tool — not just for daily agronomy decisions, but also to inform strategies for weed and disease co...

Crops are growing rapidly, and careful management is essential to prevent lodging before harvest.    For this week’s Tillage Edge, Michael Hennessy is joined by Dr. Richie Hackett from Teagasc Oak Park to discuss strategies for reducing lodging risk and the best use of plant growth regulators (PGRs).   Richie explains that high nitrogen rates and fertile fields are most vulnerable to lodging, and...

With the weather allowing farmers to plant crops and treat winter crops in ideal conditions, the only concern is the harsh wind which was slowing growth.    For this episode of The Tillage Edge, Michael Hennessy is joined by Teagasc tillage specialists, Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, to discuss how crops are progressing and the key management steps needed in the next couple of weeks.   Shay highl...

We explore the benefits of using pig slurry as an alternative to chemical fertilisers in tillage farming on the latest Tillage Edge podcast.    Michael McKeon, Teagasc pig specialist, and Ciaran Collins, Teagasc tillage specialist, discuss how to target the use of pig slurry on tillage farms.    We cover best practices for application, nutrient replacement, transport logistics, and regulatory cons...

On-farm experimentation or trials come naturally to some farmers, while others see them as a hassle or someone else’s responsibility.    On this week’s Tillage Edge, Jack Jameson, a Teagasc researcher, and John Pettit, a Teagasc tillage adviser working in the southeast, discuss how farmers can set up their own on-farm trials and maximise the benefits for their efforts.   John points out that when...

This week on the Tillage Edge, we catch up with John Crowley, a Signpost tillage farmer from Wexford, to discuss his farming system.    Located in the heart of malting barley country, John is dedicated to producing high-spec malting barley each year.    Despite transitioning to a min-till establishment system and incorporating organic manures, he has successfully maintained the quality and consist...

When the rubber hits the road, that’s when the action happens - and when tyres hit the soil, that’s when compaction may become a serious issue.    For this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Dermot Forristal, a machinery researcher from Teagasc Oak Park, discusses the evolution of tractor tyres and how they impact traction, load capacity, and soil compaction.   Dermot explains how the mix of machinery s...

With spring just around the corner and crop growth set to take off shortly, Ciaran Collins, a Tillage Specialist with Teagasc, and John Pettit, Teagasc Tillage Enterprise Advisor in Wexford, join this week’s Tillage Edge to discuss crop inputs for the coming weeks.     In particular, we focus on nitrogen application for oilseed rape and winter cereals.  John emphasises that there’s no rush to appl...

Jim McCarthy, who manages a large farming operation in Romania, shares his insights into the challenges of 2024 when extreme heat devastated yields across the country.   He discusses how his no-till system has been of huge benefit for his farm and explores diversification options, including forestry, that he has pursued in recent years.       Also, don’t miss our series of Winter Crop Workshops in...

The environmental credentials of the tillage sector were discussed at this year’s National Tillage Conference and on this week’s Tillage Edge, we chat with Dr. Bridget Lynch, a researcher at Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, about cover crops and their positive impact on water quality.    We also speak with Dr. Giulia Bondi, another researcher at Johnstown Castle, who discusses carbon levels in tillage s...