Weather forecast

Some heavy showers but many areas dry this morning with sunny spells. Cloud will increase during the day and scattered heavy showers will develop more widely. Highest temperatures 14 to 16 degrees in freshening southerly winds.

In the news today

  • Ongoing income and weather woes have led to calls for a crisis fund for western farmers. Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice wants emergency funding for farmers, particularly in the west and northwest.
  • The more ministers piled up on the second day of the National Ploughing Championshisps site in Tullamore, Co Offaly, the darker the clouds got - but this did not dampen anyone's mood. Catch up on all yesterday's coverage here and follow our live blog for the final day.
  • Beef processors are increasing the number of beef cattle that they own or control themselves, tightening their grip on the beef kill, hurting competition for farmers’ cattle.
  • In this week's podcast, we hear lots of voices from the Ploughing Championship, including President Higgins on maintaining rural life and Minister Creed hints at tax options in the upcoming budget for farmers affected by price volatility. We also hear about a checklist for protecting your home and farm from crime.
  • National Reserve will be closed until funding found and no formal decision has been given to how a new National Reserve will funded even though clawback of entitlements continues.

    • Coming up today on farmersjournal.ie

  • Our live coverage of the National Ploughing Championship continues - don't miss the winner of your people's choice award in the Innovation Arena and the final results from ploughing classes.
  • Peter McCann reports from the SDLP's Brexit conference in Cookstown.
  • The latest agri jobs.

    • What's on today

  • The National Ploughing Championships 2016 conclude in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

    • To see what’s coming up, visit our agri events calendar.