The Tillage Edge

Teagasc are running a series of Winter Crop walks across the country from February 13-16th and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast,  Shay Phelan, a Tillage Specialist in Teagasc, chats about what to expect at the walks.  As many crops are patchy or have poor establishment, Shay says farmers need to be more proactive in their own crops rather than leaving all of the decisions to the person walking...

The fertiliser supply chain and costs have been very volatile over the past couple of years and on the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Liam Dunphy, the Managing Director of Gouldings, and Peter Scott, Technical Director of The Fertiliser Division in Origin Enterprises Ireland/UK, join Michael Hennessy to talk about the fertiliser market and also Polysulphate.   Liam explains how the Irish fertiliser...

Fertiliser is one of the largest variable costs every year on tillage farms and on the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Dr Veronica Nyhan, a tillage advisor in Teagasc, chats through the benefits of planning the correct nutrients for each crop in 2024.     Veronica explains that the basis of a nutrient management plan are soil samples which are up to date.  Without these results there is no allowance...

The Teagasc National Tillage Conference takes place on January 31st in the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Dr Ewen Mullins, Head of Crops Research, Oak Park, Carlow, joins us to talk about the exciting line up and the change of format for the conference this year.     Ewen explains the change to the conference format is due to feedback from previous conferences and...

This week's episode is a repost of an episode from January 2023 with Professor Mike McLaughlin, originally from county Antrim, who is a Research Professor with the University of Adelaide, Australia and is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow with Teagasc.       Soils are the most important resource the human race has.  Without a productive soil there wouldn’t be any farming or food production.  Under...

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 c...

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...

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...

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 qui...

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 th...

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...

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 week...

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 start...

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 i...

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 appli...

Planting progress of winter cereals has been slow in most places and at a virtual stop in others and on the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both tillage specialists in Teagasc, chat through the current progress and what actions farmers can take as the year closes in.   Ciaran said the recent floods in Cork have been difficult to cope with and recently planted cereals w...

Brian Caldbeck, a Laois man living in Kentucky, talks to Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge about his experiences in the US over the past 20 years.     Brian is very much involved in agriculture, running a business called Rubisco Seeds.  The company supplies oilseed rape seed for the food grade market, with much of the seed coming from Europe.  Why Europe?  Because the market wants a non...

In the third of a three part series from a recent Signpost farm walk on Don Somers’ farm in Wexford, Michael Hennessy chats to Don Somers and Dermot Forristal, a machinery researcher in Teagasc, about how he utilises the information from the combine yield monitor to inform agronomic decisions each year.    Don outlines how he aligns the yield maps to better target soil sampling and then applies th...

The practice of fattening store lambs on cover crops is becoming more popular and Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep Production in Teagasc, joins the Tillage Edge podcast this week to discuss how to get the most from the cover crops whilst maximising animal performance.   Michael explains that lambs will take a little time to get used to the taste of the new crop and a gradual introduction over a we...

In the second of a three part series from a Signpost farm walk on Don Somers’ farm in Wexford, Michael Hennessy chats to Martin Bourke, a Teagasc Advisor, about getting the best from organic manures and how Don Somers has utilised this resource to build soil fertility on his farm.    Ciaran Hickey, a Teagasc tillage advisor, also presenting at the event, told the Tillage Edge podcast that cover cr...

In the first of a three part series on the Tillage Edge podcast, at a recent Signpost farm walk on Don Somers’ farm in Wexford, Michael Hennessy chats to Dr David Wall, a researcher in Teagasc, about the soils on Don’s farm and the best way to manage these soils for fertility, carbon storage and high yield.    At the same event Pat Power, a tillage advisor in Wexford, discusses straw incorporation...

Matt Dempsey, former editor of the Irish Farmers Journal, and Chair of the DAFM Food Vision Tillage group, chats to Michael Hennessy on the latest Tillage Edge podcast about the interim recommendations from the Food Vision Tillage Group.   Matt says there is an openness by the government to look at capital projects which could support the industry long term such as a storage/processing for protein...

Dr. Catherine Keena, a Countryside Management Specialist in Teagasc, joins Michael Hennessy on the latest Tillage Edge podcast to talk about the management of hedgerows on tillage farms.     Catherine explains that allowing hedges to grow wider and taller is very important to encourage biodiversity and increase carbon capture.   She added that this can be achieved incrementally by trimming a littl...

Shay Phelan and John Mahon from Teagasc are on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat through what to expect from the Teagasc Crops Forum next Friday in Naas.      Shay explained the forum will hear from Andrew Owen-Griffiths, who is head of DG Sante, which is responsible for the EU Commission's policies on health and food safety.  Andrew will talk about the new pesticide regulations and how the...

Planning for 2024 harvest has begun on many farms and farmers should bear in mind the crop diversification rule, or three crop rule, is in force for 2024.     Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, are on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to explain more.    Ciaran says that the three crop rule is similar to other years and growers should ensure they get the percentage of e...