The Tillage Edge

Tillage farming has reasonably good environmental credentials but there is always room for improvement and Noel Meehan, ASSAP Manager, joins us on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to talk about the funding which is available to tillage farmers as part of the Water EIP project.   Noel says the project is targeting specific areas around the country, and where farmers are eligible, there are measures...

Farmers, James O’Reilly, from Kilkenny, and James Hegarty, from Cork, join this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat about the harvest so far.     James O’Reilly says that winter barley yields were mixed and the average is likely to be lower than other years, while James Hegarty admits his yields are also mixed but he is happy with grain quality.   Both farmers expressed their frustration over the...

Not all crop varieties which could be available to Irish farmers are suitable to be grown in Ireland and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Tim O'Donovan, Technical Director at Seedtech, chats through the varieties which are available and why these are suitable to Irish conditions.    Tim explains the value of trialling these varieties in Irish conditions, as years like 2024 weeds out varieties...

Organic tillage farming may seem out of reach to most conventional tillage farmers, however Gavin Tully, an organic tillage farmer in Wexford, is on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to explain how he has successfully negotiated some of the problems associated with the organic system.    Gavin explains that he is a fan of cereal and protein mixes as it results in a well-balanced concentrate for his...

John Dunne, Arable Trials and Agronomy Manager at Goldcrop, joined the Tillage Edge podcast this week to chat about the varieties coming through the system.    John first discusses the array of existing and new varieties that were on display at the Goldcrop Open day in Cork.    He outlines the disease pressure in all cereals but is particularly happy that the new winter barley varieties are standi...

The wet and cold spring in Ireland was mirrored in the US according to Brian Caldbeck, a Laois man, who is farming and running a seeds business in Kentucky, USA, and joins Michael on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast.     Brian says the late planting into poor seedbed conditions will result in small roots which leave crops more exposed to drought and heat stresses.  Although the risks are greater i...

Despite reports of poor weather in parts of Europe, Tim Bergin, a Dubliner who is farming in Poland and is on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, says his crops are excellent and he is hopeful for a good harvest.     However, Tim does outline the very poor conditions experienced over the autumn last year and the lengths needed to harvest potatoes on his farm.   The soils on Tim’s farm are clay loam...

As we move towards the end of the growing season, some final actions are necessary on spring crops.  Ciaran Collins, a Tillage Specialist in Teagasc, and Eoin Lyons, a Tillage advisor in Teagasc, join this week's Tillage Edge podcast to discuss the critical agronomy actions needed over the next couple of weeks.   On the show, Eoin explains how reduced growth over the past couple of weeks has also...

Kilkenny farmer Kevin O’Donnell joins Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to explain how he is getting the best from organic manures on his tillage operation.     Kevin has been using manures for a number of years and is in the process of constructing a large over-ground slurry store.   Before importing slurries, Kevin’s advisor produced a Nutrient Management Plan so that Kevin co...

Minister of State, Martin Heydon, TD joins this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to talk about the recently published Food Vision 2030 Tillage Report which sets out 28 recommendations to develop the tillage sector.    Minister Heydon says the tillage sector is integral to the fabric of Irish agriculture and is a necessary part for all other areas to work well.   He also makes a particular reference to...

Grass weeds can be a serious risk to tillage farmers, and unlike the weather or international markets, grass weed prevention and eradication is something that is in the farmer’s control.   Teagasc advisor, John Mahon, and Vijaya Bhaskar, Teagasc weed researcher, are on this week's Tillage Edge podcast to discuss grass weeds and how important it is to be vigilant at this time of year to prevent spr...

Spring crops will develop quickly in the shorter season and timing of the necessary inputs will be difficult.     Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Tillage Specialists, join this week’s Tillage Edge to talk about sequencing the critical inputs to crops.   Shay says growers should be cautious about nitrogen rates to ensure malting barley quality is achieved and Ciaran talks through how to seq...

BYDV levels are high and it can have a significant negative yield impact in both winter and spring crops.   Dr Louise McNamara joins The Tillage Edge this week to chat about the current BYDV levels in winter crops and how to minimise BYDV in spring crops.   Louise says it is too late to control aphids in winter crops but almost all spring crops are at a high risk from BYDV and it is critical to co...

Contractors play a vital role in the tillage industry and this week on The Tillage Edge podcast, Michael Hennessy chats to two contractors, Patrick Nolan, who is working close to Athy, Co Kildare and Padraig Noonan, close to Conna in Cork.      Both men outline the pressures to completing work during the past 10 days with Padraig saying they have completed most of the spring planting, however he m...

Life Scientific, is an Irish company researching, developing and manufacturing off-patent plant protection products for the global market.     For this week’s Tillage Edge, Michael Hennessy was joined by Ruth Stanley, the Ireland and UK country manager, to tell us a bit more about the company, and by Scott Lovell, from Croplink, who distribute some of their products.   Ruth and Scott explain how L...

Teagasc Tillage Specialists, Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, joined Michael Hennessy on the latest Tillage Edge podcast to talk about winter crop management over the next couple of weeks.     First, Ciaran touched on the complexity of applying multiple products to crops which have not received any treatment yet.    He says that winter barley which is due to receive broad weed herbicide, plant grow...

The continuing poor weather is forcing many farmers to change their cropping decisions and on this week’s Tillage Edge, Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, discuss the benefits and risks of making cropping changes.   Shay explains that the choice between planting seed which cannot be returned and leaving it in the shed for next year is made even more difficult as t...

Jim McCarthy joins the Tillage Edge again this week with the latest on managing the 16,000 hectare farm in Romania and to share some insights on the global grain trade.     Jim discusses the agronomy of growing crops in Romania and how the farm is growing most of their crops using less nitrogen but with an increased use of digital farming methods.   Jim says the use of precision farming allows gra...

Buffer zones are important to protect waterbodies and Hugh Rooney, a Teagasc ASSAP advisor, joins this week’s Tillage Edge to talk about how buffer zones are necessary and what benefits these areas can bring.       Hugh explains that protecting waterbodies from nitrates, phosphates, sediment, pesticides and organic matter are all crucial to help the healthy status of rivers.   He highlights the ar...

Sean Kelly, who is a Member of the European Parliament for Ireland South, joined the Tillage Edge this week to chat about how EU policy is put in place and the influence farmers can have when these policies are being devised.     Firstly, Sean welcomed the move by the EU to reduce red tape and is keen to follow this through to implementation.    He said farmers and the farming lobby need to have a...

A recent Signpost farm event on the Kepak farm in Dunboyne, Co Meath focused on the use of slurry on their tillage farm.  Sam Myles, the farm manager, Veronica Nyhan, a soil nutrition specialist, and John Mahon, Signpost Farm advisor, all joined Michael Hennessy on the Tillage Edge to discuss utilising slurry on a tillage farm.   Sam Myles explains that the farm produces enough slurry to cover 1,0...

The Teagasc Crops Team have launched the Crop Report Platform which is a comprehensive information hub for the agronomy of crops in Ireland.  Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc joined this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat through the main features of the platform.    “Users can get access to information quickly through the new platform and the information is val...

Despite the cold weather, oilseed rape is actively growing.  Management decisions are needed on most crops in the coming days and weeks and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, John Spink, the Head of Crops, Environment and Land Use (CELUP) in Teagasc, discusses the tools and management which should be used by all farmers growing oilseed rape to ensure high yield later in the year.   John says the...

Many farmers are contemplating if their winter crops have enough plants to give a viable return and at the same time, are anxious to start the management of good crops on the farm.     On this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, who are both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, chat through the factors that should be considered before taking out a planted crop and managing heal...

The National Tillage Conference which took place in late January this year, covered a range of topics around research and the future direction of tillage.     On this episode of the Tillage Edge, you’ll hear from John Spink, Head of Crops Environment and Land Use in Teagasc, who spoke at the conference on how to calculate carbon use or Green House Gasses (GHG) on tillage farms.     John outlined t...