Harvest 2024 has transformed into a story of polar opposite fortunes with farmers in southern counties faring much better than their counterparts in the north-west.
Last weekend saw east Donegal, where cereal crops are grown extensively, battered with heavy wind and rain.
Meanwhile, tillage farmers south of Dublin had combines out working in the fields.
Approximately 6″ of rain has fallen on western counties since the beginning of August.
The winter wheat harvest has yet to be completed in many parts of the country. However, the real focus now is on the prospects for spring cereal crops.
Despite the late planting dates in many areas both spring barley and spring oat crops are looking well.
The prospect of good yields remains very tangible, provided farmers can get what’s in the fields safely combined.
Whole crop baling in Harvest 2024
News that some tillage farmers in the west of Ireland might resort to round baling some of their spring barley crops this year comes with the following advice from Teagasc head of Crops Knowledge Transfer Department, Michael Hennessy:
“Making whole crop cereal bales is a decision that should be taken when there is still some green left in the stems of the plants.
“If the decision is taken to bale the crop when it is very close to final harvest, the risk of not getting a proper fermentation in the bale is very high.
“Also, grains that have moisture contents below 30% would need to be bruised before baling. If not, these may well pass directly through cattle when fed out. There is not the same risk with sheep.
“Whole crop bales also attract vermin. So the issue of proper storage of these bales is very important.”
The Teagasc representative indicated that making pit silage is by far the best option when it comes to dealing cereal crops that are not suitable for the combine.
A forage harvester will process the grains and straw effectively. Treating cereal crops – grain and straw – with an alkaline additive is another harvesting option.
Early estimates point to Ireland’s whole cropping area increasing by 30% this year. In line with spring cereals, crops of forage maize and fodder beet are looking well up to this point.
Both crop types require heat and dry conditions from now until late September and, possibly, early October in order to maximise yields and forage quality.