The Tillage Edge

New rules brought in this year under GAEC 6 will exclude tillage farmers who do not have grassland from grazing cover crops, according to Shay Phelan, a tillage specialist in Teagasc.     On this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Shay outlines the DAFM rules which must be complied with to graze cover crops and what the DAFM inspectors will be looking for on farm.   Oilseed rape planting season is upon...

Brendan Burke, the farm manager in Teagasc Oak Park, joins the Tillage Edge this week to chat about the harvest progress on the farm.     Despite the weather, Brendan says his team have made good progress and pretty much all of the ripe crops are harvested.  However, Brendan says saving the straw was more difficult and much of it is still on the ground.   Brendan explains the process of harvesting...

Ciaran Collins, a Tillage Specialist in Teagasc, joined the Tillage Edge podcast this week to chat about the harvest and stubble cultivation rules which farmers should be aware of.      Ciaran said the harvest is stop/start with good progress being made in winter barley, winter oilseed rape and winter oats.  He said yields are variable across all crops and no yield records will be broken.   Much o...

Tim Bergin, an Irish man farming in Poland, joined the Tillage Edge this week to chat about the year so far and his harvest progress.     Tim said that a cold spell early in the year followed by a prolonged drought has affected cereal growth and he is expecting lower yields from these crops.   Tim also grows potatoes, which he was also very worried about until recent rains in the past couple of we...

This is the final Tillage Edge podcast highlighting the best of the Teagasc Crops Open Day held in Oak Park, Carlow.     On this episode, Louise McNamara and Stephen Byrne, researchers in Oak Park, discuss the extensive research which will underpin BYDV advice in the future.    Deirdre Doyle, a technologist in Teagasc, outlines the recommendations around ramularia control in barley and Sinead Derm...

This is the third of four shows highlighting content from the Teagasc Crops Open Day in Oak Park Carlow and this week’s Tillage Edge focuses on the different establishment systems, cover crops and the environment. First, Jack Jameson, a PhD student in Teagasc, talks about different establishment systems and farmer perceptions about these systems.   We get an update from John Mahon, the Tillage Sig...

This is the second of four shows from the Teagasc Crops Open Day in Oak Park Carlow and this episode of the Tillage Edge podcast is focusing on protein crops.    You’ll hear from Ciaran Collins, a tillage specialist in Teagasc, to set the scene about agronomy and where the protein industry can be developed.     Sheila Alves, a Teagasc researcher in bean agronomy, highlights the huge potential to i...

This is the first of four shows highlighting some of the research from the Crops Research Open Day in Oak Park.     Ewen Mullins, the Head of Crops Research in Oak Park, explains that the aim of the open day is to equip farmers with new knowledge and give them an insight into the new research areas that Teagasc Crops Research are working on.   Dermot Forristal, a researcher in Teagasc, also chats...

Garett Browne, along with his brother Mark, farms just outside Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and on the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Garett discusses the highs and lows of 2023 so far as well as reflecting on his establishment system successes and challenges.     Garett is running a min-till and strip till establishment system across a range of crops and is very happy with both systems.   However Garett...

The Crops Open Day, which is held every two years, brings the Oak Park Crop Research Programme to the public, supported by Researchers, PhD students and Advisors and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Dr. Ewen Mullins, Head of Crops Research, and Dermot Forristal, a researcher in crops and mechanisation, join Michael Hennessy to preview the event which takes place on Wednesday, June 21st.   We a...

Eoin Lyons, in Kilkenny, is using a direct drill system to establish his crops every year and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, he chats to Michael Hennessy about the lessons learned over the years using the direct drill establishment system and how his soils are changing over time.   Eoin said that despite his plans to establish everything in the autumn, he soon realised a good rotation incorp...

For this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Michael Hennessy visited Michael Grace’s farm in Clane, Co Kildare to chat about the strip-till establishment system on the farm.     Michael Grace explains that yields are as good as any of his neighbours and he is very happy with the system.  In order to use strip-till successfully he emphasises that it is critical to have a good rotation and also to only wo...

The poor spring weather was a key topic on the latest Tillage Edge podcast when Michael Hennessy chatted to both Don Somers, a farmer from Wexford, who is also participating in the Signpost Programme, and John Mahon, his Tillage Signpost advisor.      Don said he was forced to make major changes to his cropping plans this spring.  Although these changes could affect the rotation on the farm over t...

Weed control is as important as ever in spring cereals and Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both Tillage specialists in Teagasc, along with Vijaya Bhaskar, a weed researcher in Teagasc, are on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat about the best strategies for weed control in spring cereals.     Shay explains that good control is possible with lower rates but the weeds must be small and the herb...

With a substantial amount of BISS applications still to be submitted, there is growing pressure on all advisors to ensure farmer consultations are efficient so that all applications can be completed on time.     John Brophy, a Teagasc Advisor in Naas, is on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat through the major areas where a farmer can complete some pre-work before visiting their advisor.   Jo...

Late planted spring crops are at a higher risk of BYDV infection this year, as Dr. Louise McNamara, an entomologist in Oak Park Teagasc, explains on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast.   To reduce this risk, she says, target an aphicide application at growth stage 14.   Aphid numbers are coming off a low base after the winter and aphids need 170 degree days for population numbers to double.  A well...

Planting of spring crops continues at pace but there is still a substantial amount of planting to be completed especially in the north east of the country.     Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, join Michael Hennessy on the latest Tillage Edge podcast with pointers as to where crops are not planted yet and also actions needed in winter crops.    Both specialists e...

On this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Irishman Jim McCarthy, who manages a large tract of land in northern Romania, talks to Michael Hennessy about spring plantings, costs of inputs, machinery capacity and why many countries have banned the imports of Ukrainian grain.     Jim says that due to recent rainfall, the farm is behind in the planting of 12,000 hectares of spring crops, though the recent w...

All tillage farmers have a long list of crop management tasks which needs to be completed as soon as possible and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, chat through the critical tasks which need addressing on tillage farms.     Both specialists emphasise the variation in crops’ growth and the need for farmers to walk their crops r...

Andy Mahon, a Dubliner and farm manager of a large farm in the UK, joins Michael Hennessy on the latest Tillage Edge podcast to talk about the UK’s agriculture policy and the frustration it is causing to all farmers.     Andy explains how the UK policy is centred on environmental policy rather than food production.    Furthermore, the income supports provided by the Basic Payment schemes have halv...

In the final episode of the four-part series on the potential of protein crops, this week’s Tillage Edge podcast looks at how a new European project Valpro Path can help develop new supply chains for protein crops.     Professor Milena Corredig, Head of Food Design, Aarhus University, Denmark, explains how the societal shift to plant proteins is growing with consumers now looking for simple and su...

All tillage farmers can make small changes to reduce the farms environmental impact and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Darren Allen, a farmer from Ballymaloe Farm, Co. Cork, talks about the steps he has taken over the past few years to improve his farm’s efficiency and also improving the environmental credentials on the farm.      He explains how the farm’s rotation has adjusted to improve y...

The switch to urea on tillage farms comes with the added risk of uneven spreading and on the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Francis Quigley, a Machinery Specialist in Teagasc, discusses fertiliser spreader settings for urea.     Francis says that many spreaders require a specific vein for urea and he has come across spreaders with badly damaged veins which were not capable of spreading any fertilise...

In the third part of a four part series looking at protein crops, on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast we examine if Irish protein crops can be transformed to supply the plant based protein market.     Mark Fenelon from Teagasc, is the project leader of U Protein which is looking at concentrating the protein content of plant materials to make food ingredient products.     Mark explains how the proj...

The Eco Scheme is part of the new CAP 2023-2027 and will make up a significant part of farmers payments this year and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Shay Phelan, a Tillage Specialist in Teagasc, outlines the eight measures which farmers can choose from in 2023.   Shay explains there are about three Eco Scheme measures which are particularly suitable for tillage farmers.     He says the Space...