The Tillage Edge

This week on The Tillage Edge podcast, we’re circling back to the National Tillage Conference from earlier this year and focusing on the trade-offs of establishment systems with Jack Jameson, as well as the growing problem of weeds, particularly poppies, with Charlotte Morgan.

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Correctly structured healthy soils will deliver better returns for farmers and on this week’s Tillage Edge, Dr Veronica Nyhan, a soil and plant nutrition specialist in Teagasc, joins the podcast to discuss why it is necessary to carry out regular soil assessments and how the results can be used to correct any deficits.

Veronica explains that a test dig can take about 20 minutes to complete and can reveal a wealth of information.  

The assessment itself is designed to be carried out by farmers with excellent instruction available both on video and using the Teagasc Soil Structure ABC guide at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/environment/soil/The-soil-structure-ABC.-A-practical-guide-to-managing-soil-structure.pdf

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

There is a good proportion of the harvest completed and this week on The Tillage Edge podcast, Teagasc Tillage Advisors, Ciara O’Donovan, Conor O’Callaghan and John Pettit report on the yields in their areas to date with all three reporting good yields from spring barley along with reasonable straw yields.

There was agreement that winter cereal and winter oilseed rape yields were generally disappointing, with winter wheat, which looked to have potential, giving a poor yield.  

All of the advisors put the low averages down to thinner crops with bare patches due to the poor weather all year.  

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Tim Bergin, a Dublin man farming in Poland, and Andy Mahon, a Dubliner who manages a farm in the UK, join the Tillage Edge this week to chat about their respective harvests with contrasting reports of a very difficult year in the UK and a year full of promise from Poland.

In Poland, Tim explains that yields were reasonably good and harvest was straightforward to complete with all grain saved at low moistures.  However, in the UK, Andy reports a very difficult year with yields back by about 15-20% across the board.

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Cover crops have many benefits for a farmer and also for the wider landscape and this week, Dr Richie Hackett, Teagasc Crops Researcher in Oak Park, joins the Tillage Edge podcast to delve into the benefits and pitfalls when growing cover crops.  

Richie cautions farmers about using the same cover crop mixes in rotation with similar plant species and recommends a relatively safe cover crop mix that most farmers can use.

Richie also explains that an early sown cover crop can produce 4t dry matter, utilising up to 80kg/ha N and sequestering 1.2t of carbon.  

However he says that predicting when or how much of the captured nitrogen would be available to the next crops is difficult to estimate.

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The ideal time to plant oilseed rape is in the next couple of weeks and so Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, join the Tillage Edge this week to chat about the variety choice and best practice for good establishment.

Oilseed rape comes with a lot of in-built genetic technology which Shay says will help to achieve high yields but he cautions that growers should carefully choose the correct variety for their area with disease resistance and pod shatter resistance being very important.      

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The Teagasc crops research farm in Oak Park, Carlow, is in the middle of the harvest and Brendan Burke, the farm manager, joins the Tillage Edge this week to chat about the highs and lows of the harvest so far.  

Brendan explains that the winter barley and winter oats yields have been reasonable so far.

The farm also sells straw to regular customers but there was little interest in oaten straw and this was chopped as part of the Straw Incorporation Scheme.  

Cover crops are used extensively across the farms with the go to mix of phacelia and vetch.    

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

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 flexible from year to year.  

Noel also outlines the payments for cover crops which includes options for summer and winter cover crops. 

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

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 withdrawal and subsequent re-instatement of the straw chopping scheme.  

They expressed their anger not only over the scheme and treatment of the tillage sector, but also voiced concerns about the straw incorporation scheme for next year.  

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

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 which are just not suitable to our wetter conditions.  

He also highlights some of the new genetics which are available in oilseed rape and winter barley this year.

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com