A failure to plant winter wheat this January is set to further increase demand for spring crop seed.

Teagasc figures show that around 76,500ha of winter cereals were planted this season, roughly half of the 2019 winter area.

Based on a total cereal harvest of 261,000ha in 2019, there is potentially up to 184,500ha to plant this coming spring.

So far demand for seed is reported to be the highest from areas where few winter crops were planted, such as the southeast and northeast.

Demand for seed is reported to be the highest from areas where few winter crops were planted

Spring barley supplies are likely to come under pressure towards the end of the season and imports may be required to meet demand. Spring wheat seed is also in high demand. Seed supplies are slightly higher than 2019. While there are larger volumes of oat seed available, market access could be an issue for growers.

Spring beans

The area of spring beans last year failed to recover from 2018 levels. However, with confirmation of the Protein Aid Scheme for 2020, spring beans are proving a popular option for growers once again.

In 2019, growers were paid €365/ha in coupled support for growing the crop.

However, seed supply is likely to curtail a significant increase in area this year as supplies are reported to be extremely tight.

Bean price

Dairygold has announced a 2020 contract price for beans of €205/t. The price was announced at the co-op’s annual spring conference, which took place in Co Cork this week.

Dairygold also announced Cork tillage farmer Jeremiah Dineen as the overall winner of this year’s malting barley competition.

The judges were impressed by his prioritisation of the environment by protecting water quality and embracing biodiversity, while at the same time producing high-quality grain.