With the recent launch of a number of schemes by the Department of Agriculture, including the Tillage Incentive Scheme, Beef Environment Efficiency Programme Suckler scheme also known as the BEEP-S Scheme and the Dairy Beef Calf Programme, Aidan Murray, Teagasc Beef Specialist and Michael Hennessy, Teagasc Head of Tillage, discuss the main points and information on this week’s Beef Edge podcast.

Michael advises when converting grassland to tillage, the first place to start is to see if seed, fertiliser and other inputs will be available and for farms in an area with little tillage, is there a combine available to harvest the crop?

A careful budget also needs to be completed to ensure profitability can be achieved on the land. Due to the costs of growing any tillage crop, unfortunately there are no shortcuts. The only way to make any money is to strive for high yields of both grain and straw. This is true whether the crop is grown for whole cropping or going all the way to harvest.

Farmers don’t have to complete an application form. The change on the Basic Payment Scheme application from grassland to tillage from 2021 to 2022 will trigger the payment of €400/Ha.

For further details:

https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/daily/crops/tillage-update-24th-march-2022.php

Also on the show, Aidan highlights the criteria for farmers to apply for the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme - Sucklers (Beep-S).

If you:

- Are the owner of an active herd number with Herd Owner status

- Submit a Basic Payment Scheme application in 2022

- Had suckler calves born in your herd between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022

- Agree to complete what is known as the ‘mandatory action’ weighing action of the suckler cow and her calf

- If you were in BEEP-S in 2020 and or 2021, you must apply again this year to be in the scheme for 2022.

The application period is open to midnight on 25th April. Late applications that are submitted after this date will be subjected to a reduced payment and the late application facility will finally close on May 20th,2022.

Online application method using Agfood.ie.

For further details:

https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/daily/beef/beep-s----time-to-apply.php

In addition, Aidan discusses that the Dairy Beef Calf scheme which is a support for farmers who are rearing calves from the dairy herd either a male calf of a dairy breed or a male or female calf of a beef breed sire born to a dairy breed dam in your herd.

These eligible calves must have been in your herd for at least ten days before weighing and born on or after 1 July 2021.

You must weigh a minimum of five eligible calves and submit the weights to the ICBF. All weights should be submitted within seven days of weighing and before 1st November 2022. Calves must be at least 12 weeks old at the time of weighing.

Applications will close at midnight on April 25th 2022.

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com.