The Tillage Edge

By TeagascGovernment

The Tillage Edge episodes

July 02, 2020 Combine set up and the importance of stopping grass weed seeds spreading during harvest
Dermot Forristal was the guest on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to speak to Michael Hennessy about combine set up and also the importance of stopping grass weed seeds spreading during harvest.
Crop through put, crop losses and quality are important factors in setting up the combine according to Dermot.
“Adjustment varies according to combine make but in order to get the set up correct machine operators should make one adjustment at a time and check the results afterwards,” he said.
Harvesting machinery from the combine to the baler, straw rakes and even tractors and trailers will spread grass weed seeds. Dermot is hugely concerned that farmers and contractors do everything possible to stop the spread of grass weeds especially blackgrass.
“All equipment should be thoroughly cleaned after leaving contaminated fields,” commented Dermot “And there cannot be any exceptions, especially with blackgrass.”
Dermot pointed out that farmers must take responsibility for grass weed problems on their farm and inform contractors well in advance of harvest and be prepared to leave the infected fields to the end of harvest to stop any further contamination.
For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/
The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.
19 min
June 25, 2020 The PRCD and the Challenges of Proposed Pesticide Reductions of 50%
Gordon Rennick, PRCD, for the Department of Agriculture and Marine joined Michael Hennessy on the Tillage Edge podcast this week.
Gordon explained that PRCD stands for the Pesticide Registration and Control Division of the Department of Agriculture and the unit has a wide range of roles from registering pesticides, residue testing, inspecting retail and farmers along with a host of other diverse work.
Gordon is involved with the registration of plant protection products (PPP) in Ireland and he mentioned the decrease of new actives coming up for registration from 30-40 per year, 20 years ago, to only 1-2 per year in more recent times.
He mentioned the importance of Integrated Pest Management in protecting PPP products but said there is a limit to the contribution of cultural control methods and good IPM includes PPP’s as part of control strategies.
The Farm to Fork policy document mention reductions of pesticides of 50% which Gordon says will be very challenging, and if implemented fully, yield reductions and quality are inevitable for Irish farmers.
Ultimately this is a political issue but the very existence of a tillage sector in Ireland is at stake with these new proposals.
For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/
The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.
21 min
June 18, 2020 Young driver machinery safety and other areas for farm safety improvement
Francis Blight, Teagasc Health and Safety Specialist joined Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to discuss machinery safety for young drivers and also other safety areas around the farmyard.
Francis told the Tillage Edge there was no change in legislation regarding young drivers operating larger and faster tractors. Therefore, there is increased onus on the owner of the machinery to spend time training these young inexperienced drivers before letting them loose on roads.
Francis recommends spending at least a couple of hours with the driver training them to safely operate the machine off the road and further time training them while driving on roads. Francis highlighted the need for reduced speeds around yards as many injuries and deaths are caused by people getting knocked down in this environment.
Francis also touched on other areas where farmers can improve their practice such as workshops. Keeping these areas tidy reduces trip hazards, plus first aid kits and other safety equipment should be accessible and well maintained at all times.
For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/
The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.
19 min
June 11, 2020 How to deal with broad leaf weed control and herbicide resistance issues
On the Teagasc Tillage Edge podcast this week, Michael Hennessy was joined by Liz Glynn of Corteva, who chatted about broad leaf weed control and herbicide resistance issues in Ireland.
Liz told the Tillage Edge there are problems with broad leaved weeds escaping uncontrolled or partially controlled through to harvest. Liz said farmers need to check a number of areas such as weed type, weed size, growing conditions and herbicide type/rate to ensure that all conditions are correct to control the weed. Where there are correct and poor weed control is observed then herbicide resistance can be considered.
Liz mentioned resistance weeds such as chickweed were increasingly showing up on farm in the past couple of years. Corteva trials were showing increased resistance in chickweed to SU herbicides but herbicides like fluroxypyr (Starane) control these resistance weeds.
Liz maintains where there is good practice including rotations, alternating crops, ensuring competitive canopies and good selection of correct herbicides, then growers will be able to reduce the likelihood of resistance on their farms.
For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/
The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia
19 min
June 04, 2020 How to deal with the current drought effects on spring barley
Joining Michael Hennessy was Eoin Lyons, Teagasc Boortmalt Joint Program advisor who told Michael that there is quite a difference in crops across the south east region where he works.

South Wexford has quite good crops whereas the further north (probably from Bunclody) crops are poorer with some very disappointing crops evident now. The past couple of weeks dry and very warm weather were particularly hard on these spring crops.

Eoin pointed out there is very little disease but growers should assess crop potential. Where potential is good a normal fungicide program is advised but where yields are likely to be low then reducing fungicides costs is the prudent thing to do.

Eoin also pointed out that growers should examine fields in the coming weeks for grass weeds like wild oats and canary grass and hand rogue where possible. If this is not possible then crop burn off may be the most prudent control. In all cases drawing any infected patches on a map for reference is essential.

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

The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.
18 min
May 28, 2020 Tips & advice for potato agronomy at this time of year
With the current heat, many crops are growing rapidly, where moisture is not limiting. Irrigation will maintain and drive on this growth rate. This new growth is more susceptible to blight and difficult to keep protected due to the amount of new leaf material produced each week. Irrigation (or rain) will create humidity and leaf wetness making ideal conditions for blight spread.

There has already been one blight warning in the north west and if we get prolonged rain, conditions would be very conducive to blight spread. The first blight application is a trade-off between having enough foliage to receive the fungicide and the likelihood of spread. Prevention of blight in the canopy is key and sets the foundation for season long control.

Denis also stressed to need to regularly inspect seed crops for blight and viruses. Potato virus can build up quickly in seed potatoes with potato virus PVY the most important virus. Denis discusses controlling this virus but also mentions that PVY is difficult to control.

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

The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.
16 min
May 21, 2020 Dealing with tillage grass weeds including wild oats and blackgrass
Tillage grass weeds including wild oats and blackgrass were the topic for discussion on this week’s Tillage Edge and Michael Hennessy was joined by Jimmy Staples, manager of the Enable Conservation Agriculture project in Teagasc.

Jimmy told Michael that the major weeds like wild oats, bromes and blackgrass are in every county across the country and the incidence is increasing year on year.

He recommends all farmers should walk fields before spraying any grass weed herbicide and should ensure to thoroughly hand rogue the field for missed plants before harvest to prevent seed return.

Blackgrass is a weed which is becoming more prevalent in Ireland and Jimmy recommends all growers should have heightened awareness of the weed and ensure it does not establish on the farm. Where a grower has blackgrass the best farm management practice is to embrace the problem.

Where the infestation is moderate to high, crop (and weed) destruction in the coming week or so is the best option to prevent seed return and is one of the best steps for long term control. A grower in this situation should have a 5 year plan for that field and for the farm, in general, to ensure the weed is eliminated.

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

The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.
17 min
May 18, 2020 Bonus Ep: Winter Wheat Virtual Crop Walk
On this bonus episode of the Tillage Edge, we're bringing you our virtual crop walk from Oak Park focusing on winter wheat.

Because of Covid-19, Teagasc's normal crop walk couldn't take place, but instead we were able to bring you an interactive version with crops specialist, Stephen Kildea, as well as John Hogan, Oak Park's Farm Manager to give us an idea of what the winter wheat is looking like.

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

The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.
16 min
May 15, 2020 Bonus Ep: Spring Barley Virtual Crop Walk
On this bonus episode of the Tillage Edge, we're bringing you our virtual crop walk from Oak Park focusing on spring barley.

Because of Covid-19, Teagasc's normal crop walk couldn't take place, but instead we were able to bring you an interactive version with crops specialist, Ciaran Collins, as well as John Hogan, Oak Park's Farm Manager to give us an idea of what the spring barley is looking like.

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

The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.
18 min
May 14, 2020 Prospects for Crops for the Year Ahead
John Spink, Head of the Crops Environment and Land Use Programme in Teagasc joined Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat about the difficulties of getting trials into the ground this year and the prospects for crops for the year ahead.

He said the dry soils in Oak Park allowed trafficability where other soils would not. Due to this almost all crops were planted into generally good conditions in the autumn and the spring. Trials are generally on track so far this year but the centre will have to manage without the usual help of visiting students during the summer.

John discussed the prospects for crops this year and commented on the effects of the current dry conditions in the east of the country. John said crops are starting to suffer from moisture stress but disease levels are low enabling a wider choice of plant protection products.

He maintains crops should be managed for maximum yield but there is no room for unproven additional products in the tank. John also maintains growers should question their agronomist about every input to ensure it will contribute to increased margins.

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

The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.
19 min

About The Tillage Edge

From the publisher's feed

The Tillage Edge is Teagasc's weekly tillage podcast, presented by Michael Hennessy, bringing you weekly episodes covering the agronomy needs of crops throughout the season with input from Teagasc researchers and views from across the industry.