The Irish Farmers Journal flagship weekly tillage series, From the Tramlines, returns for 2020. Ireland’s tillage industry is diverse and spans across 31 counties, north and south. No two regions are the same and variations in climate, soil type, markets and land availability and much more means that a different management approach is needed for each area.
We follow the progress of 12 farmers from across the country.
Because of this variation, accurately reporting on tillage farm activity and progress can be a challenge. It is seldom that the decisions taken on a tillage farm in Cork are similar to those in Donegal, for example.
This is one of the core aims of From the Tramlines – to accurately demonstrate this variety and give readers real-time on-the-ground updates from Ireland’s tillage fields.
From the Tramlines 2020 grower locations.
Over the next 38 weeks, we’ll be following and reporting on 12 of Ireland’s top growers from all around the island, following the management decisions and cropping progress on each of their farms.
New growers
The series enters its third year and so far we have had 22 farmers take part from 17 counties. This year, we welcome back James O’Reilly, Kilkenny and Donal O’Keeffe, Westmeath who took part in the series last year.
In addition to this, we have 10 brand new growers on board for 2020 who span the length and breadth of the country. Two of these growers are from Waterford and Louth, counties which haven’t been featured in the series before.
Crops
Most growers failed to plant their planned area of winter crops this year, due to the poor autumn.
However, this year’s growers are still growing a diverse portfolio of crops, including cereals, brassicas, potatoes, fodder crops and field vegetables. We will follow the progress of all of these crops as well as the key agronomy decisions growers are making.
Typical soil types range from very light and sandy to heavy and peaty across all 12 farms and as a result, establishment methods range from plough-based, to min-till to direct drill.
As well as weekly updates in print, readers can also access additional digital content such as video and audio through our website or our mobile app.
Naas, Kildare
Tim and his son Mark farm 900ac of grain in Ballymore Eustace, close to Naas, Co Kildare. Around 250ac of this is owned, 350ac is contract-farmed and the remainder is leased or under conacre.
Tim grows a number of cereal crops, including winter wheat, winter and spring barley, winter oats and spring beans.
Tim also produces around 1,000 bales of hay annually and sells them to farmers and stud farms.
He runs two establishment systems. Depending on the land and farm, he either uses a plough and one-pass system or a direct drill system using his Claydon drill.
He was able to sow 80% of his planned area last year. However, around 3ac of this was waterlogged. His soil types vary from sandy to medium and heavy loam. He was able to sow 15ac of spring beans last week and 70ac of winter wheat in January, which will help ease the workload this spring.
Tim grows cover crops on the farm, which is grazed by sheep from neighbouring farms. He also uses layer manure as part of his cereal and cover crop nutrition plan. Tim and his wife Jackie also run a pet farm on the land.
Lifford, Donegal
Hugh farms in Porthall, just outside Lifford in Donegal. He farms on rich, alluvium soils close to the River Foyle. This soil has a high organic matter content and is capable of producing high-yielding crops. However, due to its flat, low-lying nature, it is prone to waterlogging and requires routine maintenance of drains. Hugh grows winter barley, winter wheat, winter oats and spring barley. He also grows spring malting barley for Agri Care, who assemble the crop in the northwest for Boortmalt. The rest of his grain is destined for feed and is sold to Fane Valley Feeds. Hugh farms across 100ac of his own land and generally hires a contractor to drill his crops.
Hugh was able to plant all of his planned winter crop area last autumn. However, months of rain and wet conditions have taken their toll on his crops. In February alone, over 220mm of rain fell on his farm.
He carried out a plant count on his crops and found a population of 60 plants/m2 in his winter barley, which will now need to be replanted. Hugh is a member of a tillage discussion group run by local Teagasc tillage adviser Martin McCullough.
Ballyragget, Kilkenny
James returns for his second season of From the Tramlines. Based in Ballyragget, Kilkenny, James runs a tillage business with a focus on efficiency.
Around one-third of his farm is owned, while the remainder is on long-term leases. He splits his farm into five blocks, which consist of winter barley, winter oilseed rape, first winter wheat, spring or winter oats and first winter wheat again.
James runs a min-till system and much of the ground hasn’t been ploughed in 20 years. His soil types range from medium to heavy loam with a high silt content. He managed to sow around 96% of his planned winter crop area last year, but around 3% of this may have to be replanted. From October 1 to March 1, over 530mm of rainfall fell on his farm, which left its mark on ground conditions. Most of the grain is destined for feed, with the majority going to Red Mills. James is a member of the long running ‘Survivors’ discussion group. He farms alongside his parents Larry and Anne.
Navan, Meath
Colm farms with his father Tommy in Harristown, near Navan in Meath. He farms a combination of owned and rented land across 800ac. He describes his typical land type as a mix between medium and heavy loam. Colm grows winter wheat, winter and spring barley, winter oilseed rape, spring beans and spring oats. All of these crops are sold for feed to a number of merchants, including Deeside Agri, Drummonds, McAuley Feeds and Glanbia.
His establishment system depends on the crop, year and land type. He generally runs a plough-based system, but will min-till when conditions allow. His oilseed crops are generally established with a sumo drill. He planned to sow 700ac of winter crops in autumn, but just managed 330ac due to the poor conditions. Most of those crops are looking good, but 15-20ac are poorly. He will reduce inputs on those crops accordingly. He sowed around 21ac of winter wheat in January, which is just emerging. Colm is a member of ITLUS and is IASIS registered.
Curracloe, Wexford
Padraig farms with his father Simon and brother Simon Jnr in Curracloe, just north of Wexford town. This year they are growing spring barley and winter oats.
They also grow a number of field vegetable crops, including onions and carrots. In addition to this, they grow early, maincrop and salad potatoes. They farm across 960ac, 75% of which is rented. With this wide farming footprint soil types vary, but in general, Padraig describes the area as relatively early.
Due to the poor autumn, they were only able to plant 20% of their planned winter crop area. They normally run a plough-based system, but due to the increased workload this spring, they intend on min-tilling most of their spring crops.
They generally sow some cover crops each year, consisting of mainly black oats and forage rape. This is, in part, to meet their greening requirements. So far this year, they have been able to plant 25ac of early potatoes in reasonable conditions.
Limavady, Derry
Jonathan farms in Bellarena just outside Limavady in Derry. He farms across a wide range of soils types, from light and sandy to heavy and mossy. Jonathan, in partnership with his father Cecil, is currently changing his farming business model from a traditional livestock farm. He is reducing his suckler herd enterprise and growing his tillage business.
He now farms across 750ac, much of which is in crops, including winter wheat, winter barley, winter rye, spring barley and maize. He grows rye and maize for anaerobic digestion facilities in the region and also sells some silage to them. The remainder of the crops are sold as feed directly to farmers or to Thompsons Feed in Belfast.
He runs a plough-based system and got 90% of his planned winter crops sown last year. Most of these crops are looking good, although he will have to replant 10ac due to crow damage. He uses a number of sources of organic matter on his land, including slurry, chicken litter, digestate and compost. Jonathan is a member of his local business development group and the Progressive Arable Producers group.
Delvin, Westmeath
Back for his second series of From the Tramlines, Donal farms in Delvin, Westmeath.
On average, he farms on medium loam soils, but this can vary greatly between and within fields. Donal’s cropping regime consists of winter wheat, winter barley, winter oats, spring oats and spring beans. A large proportion of these crops go for seed, which requires rigorous machinery hygiene, record keeping and weed control. A proportion of those crops is destined for feed and he also grows gluten-free oats for Glanbia. He farms around 300ac, half of which is owned and the remaining is share farmed. He also harvests around 200ac on contract.
Donal runs a plough-based system, but min-tills when conditions allow. Last year, he also trialled direct drilling some of his crops and intends on doing the same this spring.
He was able to plant 90% of his planned winter crop area, but has to replant 9ac of this. He intends on planting a deep-rooting cover crop mix on areas of waterlogged crops, which don’t justify replanting. Donal is an ITLUS member.
Lismore, Waterford
Philip farms just south of the Knockmealdown Mountains in Lismore, Waterford. He grows a variety of crops including winter and spring barley, winter wheat, fodder beet and winter or spring oats. He also normally grows spring beans.
Most of his cereal crops are grown for feed and are sold directly to farmers or to Dermot O’Leary, Cork. Philip also grows around 80ac of spring barley seed each year for Goldcrop. His fodder beet crops are sold to beef and dairy farmers in the area. Philip was able to sow most of his planned area last autumn, but he may have to replant a small amount of winter barley.
Around half of his farmed area is owned, while the rest is either rented or leased. His land is quite favourable for crop production, as it is mostly limestone and free draining soils.
He runs a plough-based system, but also uses a grubber to cultivate the ground before direct-drilling when conditions allow.
A share of his spring barley will be established using the grubber this year. He grows a phacelia, vetch and mustard cover crop mix under GLAS. Philip is a member of the Blackwater Tillage discussion group and is IASIS registered.
Bangor, Down
Located between Bangor and Donaghadee, David farms in partnership with his mother and father, John and Elizabeth, producing cereals, oilseed and beef cattle.
David grows winter oilseed rape, winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley and winter oats. All of his cereals are grown for feed, with the exception of his milling oats, which he is growing for Whites Oats.
Around 53% of his farmed area is owned, 12% is rented and the rest is farmed under stubble-to-stubble contract.
He describes his average land type as medium-loam and due to its sand content and his location and climate, dryness can be an issue at times.
He runs a plough-based system, but is interested in exploring direct drill systems on his farm.
Last autumn was a tricky one, but he still managed to sow 80% of his planned winter area. Most of these crops are in good condition, although there are some patchy areas. David is the chair of the Ulster Farmers Union Seeds and Cereals committee.
Stabannon, Louth
Gareth farms in Stabannon, close to Castlebellingham, Louth. In 2001, he adopted a min-till establishment system. In 2008, he started direct drilling and in 2011 he moved to no-till. He farms across 550ac, where 130ac is owned and the remainder is rented.
He generally grows a combination of winter wheat, winter barley, winter oats, winter oilseed rape, spring oats, spring beans, a spring pea/barley and winter bean/oat combi-crop. Most of his grain goes for feed to either Drummonds, Deeside Agri or InterAgrow.
His land type is mixed, ranging from light free-draining to much heavier soils. He was able to plant just 25% of his planned winter crop area last autumn, due to the poor weather.
Gareth focuses on reducing inputs where possible. He is an avid grower of cover crops and grows a number of different mixes. Most cereals are also grown with a companion crop. He is one of the founding members of Base Ireland and a big focus on his farm is learning about improving soil health.
Kinsale, Cork
Martin’s home farm is located in Kinsale, Cork, but he also operates further east in Carrigaline and Cobh and further north in Kilkenny. He farms in partnership with his father Jim.
He generally operates a four-year rotation, growing winter barley, winter oats, sugar beet and spring barley and wheat. Martin usually aims to sow 600ac of winter cereals every year, but due to the poor autumn, managed to sow just 330ac.
He grows his oats on contract for Flahavan’s and is in his second year of growing spring malting barley for Southern Farm Fuels.
Due to demand from his customers, 90% of his beet crops are sugar beet varieties.
Approximately 20% of his farmed ground is owned, 40% is under long-term share-farm agreements, 20% is under long-term lease while the remainder is conacre.
Martin operates across a mixture of soil types, but his land would be early. He operates a plough-based establishment system and is a regular user of organic manures, using over 1m gallons of pig slurry annually.
Tuam, Galway
Gerry farms just outside of Tuam in Galway. Around half of his farmed area is owned, while the other half is leased on a five-year basis.
He grows winter barley, winter oats and spring barley, generally on a two- to three-year rotation. All of his crops are destined for feed and are sold either to Liffey Mills or directly to farmers. He describes his climate as that typically found in the west of Ireland, with short weather windows.
This can make work a challenge at times. Despite this, Gerry managed to sow all of his planned winter crop area last autumn. While his crops are around six weeks behind where they were this time last year, they survived the winter very well.
He has no hedgerows on the farm and instead plants cover crops of forage rape and leafy turnips to meet his greening obligations. He also grows cover crops as part of GLAS. Each year, he buys in store lambs to graze the cover crops and return manure to the soil.
He runs a plough-based system and establishes his cover crops with a set of discs and an airseeder.
The Irish Farmers Journal flagship weekly tillage series, From the Tramlines, returns for 2020. Ireland’s tillage industry is diverse and spans across 31 counties, north and south. No two regions are the same and variations in climate, soil type, markets and land availability and much more means that a different management approach is needed for each area.
We follow the progress of 12 farmers from across the country.
Because of this variation, accurately reporting on tillage farm activity and progress can be a challenge. It is seldom that the decisions taken on a tillage farm in Cork are similar to those in Donegal, for example.
This is one of the core aims of From the Tramlines – to accurately demonstrate this variety and give readers real-time on-the-ground updates from Ireland’s tillage fields.
From the Tramlines 2020 grower locations.
Over the next 38 weeks, we’ll be following and reporting on 12 of Ireland’s top growers from all around the island, following the management decisions and cropping progress on each of their farms.
New growers
The series enters its third year and so far we have had 22 farmers take part from 17 counties. This year, we welcome back James O’Reilly, Kilkenny and Donal O’Keeffe, Westmeath who took part in the series last year.
In addition to this, we have 10 brand new growers on board for 2020 who span the length and breadth of the country. Two of these growers are from Waterford and Louth, counties which haven’t been featured in the series before.
Crops
Most growers failed to plant their planned area of winter crops this year, due to the poor autumn.
However, this year’s growers are still growing a diverse portfolio of crops, including cereals, brassicas, potatoes, fodder crops and field vegetables. We will follow the progress of all of these crops as well as the key agronomy decisions growers are making.
Typical soil types range from very light and sandy to heavy and peaty across all 12 farms and as a result, establishment methods range from plough-based, to min-till to direct drill.
As well as weekly updates in print, readers can also access additional digital content such as video and audio through our website or our mobile app.
Naas, Kildare
Tim and his son Mark farm 900ac of grain in Ballymore Eustace, close to Naas, Co Kildare. Around 250ac of this is owned, 350ac is contract-farmed and the remainder is leased or under conacre.
Tim grows a number of cereal crops, including winter wheat, winter and spring barley, winter oats and spring beans.
Tim also produces around 1,000 bales of hay annually and sells them to farmers and stud farms.
He runs two establishment systems. Depending on the land and farm, he either uses a plough and one-pass system or a direct drill system using his Claydon drill.
He was able to sow 80% of his planned area last year. However, around 3ac of this was waterlogged. His soil types vary from sandy to medium and heavy loam. He was able to sow 15ac of spring beans last week and 70ac of winter wheat in January, which will help ease the workload this spring.
Tim grows cover crops on the farm, which is grazed by sheep from neighbouring farms. He also uses layer manure as part of his cereal and cover crop nutrition plan. Tim and his wife Jackie also run a pet farm on the land.
Lifford, Donegal
Hugh farms in Porthall, just outside Lifford in Donegal. He farms on rich, alluvium soils close to the River Foyle. This soil has a high organic matter content and is capable of producing high-yielding crops. However, due to its flat, low-lying nature, it is prone to waterlogging and requires routine maintenance of drains. Hugh grows winter barley, winter wheat, winter oats and spring barley. He also grows spring malting barley for Agri Care, who assemble the crop in the northwest for Boortmalt. The rest of his grain is destined for feed and is sold to Fane Valley Feeds. Hugh farms across 100ac of his own land and generally hires a contractor to drill his crops.
Hugh was able to plant all of his planned winter crop area last autumn. However, months of rain and wet conditions have taken their toll on his crops. In February alone, over 220mm of rain fell on his farm.
He carried out a plant count on his crops and found a population of 60 plants/m2 in his winter barley, which will now need to be replanted. Hugh is a member of a tillage discussion group run by local Teagasc tillage adviser Martin McCullough.
Ballyragget, Kilkenny
James returns for his second season of From the Tramlines. Based in Ballyragget, Kilkenny, James runs a tillage business with a focus on efficiency.
Around one-third of his farm is owned, while the remainder is on long-term leases. He splits his farm into five blocks, which consist of winter barley, winter oilseed rape, first winter wheat, spring or winter oats and first winter wheat again.
James runs a min-till system and much of the ground hasn’t been ploughed in 20 years. His soil types range from medium to heavy loam with a high silt content. He managed to sow around 96% of his planned winter crop area last year, but around 3% of this may have to be replanted. From October 1 to March 1, over 530mm of rainfall fell on his farm, which left its mark on ground conditions. Most of the grain is destined for feed, with the majority going to Red Mills. James is a member of the long running ‘Survivors’ discussion group. He farms alongside his parents Larry and Anne.
Navan, Meath
Colm farms with his father Tommy in Harristown, near Navan in Meath. He farms a combination of owned and rented land across 800ac. He describes his typical land type as a mix between medium and heavy loam. Colm grows winter wheat, winter and spring barley, winter oilseed rape, spring beans and spring oats. All of these crops are sold for feed to a number of merchants, including Deeside Agri, Drummonds, McAuley Feeds and Glanbia.
His establishment system depends on the crop, year and land type. He generally runs a plough-based system, but will min-till when conditions allow. His oilseed crops are generally established with a sumo drill. He planned to sow 700ac of winter crops in autumn, but just managed 330ac due to the poor conditions. Most of those crops are looking good, but 15-20ac are poorly. He will reduce inputs on those crops accordingly. He sowed around 21ac of winter wheat in January, which is just emerging. Colm is a member of ITLUS and is IASIS registered.
Curracloe, Wexford
Padraig farms with his father Simon and brother Simon Jnr in Curracloe, just north of Wexford town. This year they are growing spring barley and winter oats.
They also grow a number of field vegetable crops, including onions and carrots. In addition to this, they grow early, maincrop and salad potatoes. They farm across 960ac, 75% of which is rented. With this wide farming footprint soil types vary, but in general, Padraig describes the area as relatively early.
Due to the poor autumn, they were only able to plant 20% of their planned winter crop area. They normally run a plough-based system, but due to the increased workload this spring, they intend on min-tilling most of their spring crops.
They generally sow some cover crops each year, consisting of mainly black oats and forage rape. This is, in part, to meet their greening requirements. So far this year, they have been able to plant 25ac of early potatoes in reasonable conditions.
Limavady, Derry
Jonathan farms in Bellarena just outside Limavady in Derry. He farms across a wide range of soils types, from light and sandy to heavy and mossy. Jonathan, in partnership with his father Cecil, is currently changing his farming business model from a traditional livestock farm. He is reducing his suckler herd enterprise and growing his tillage business.
He now farms across 750ac, much of which is in crops, including winter wheat, winter barley, winter rye, spring barley and maize. He grows rye and maize for anaerobic digestion facilities in the region and also sells some silage to them. The remainder of the crops are sold as feed directly to farmers or to Thompsons Feed in Belfast.
He runs a plough-based system and got 90% of his planned winter crops sown last year. Most of these crops are looking good, although he will have to replant 10ac due to crow damage. He uses a number of sources of organic matter on his land, including slurry, chicken litter, digestate and compost. Jonathan is a member of his local business development group and the Progressive Arable Producers group.
Delvin, Westmeath
Back for his second series of From the Tramlines, Donal farms in Delvin, Westmeath.
On average, he farms on medium loam soils, but this can vary greatly between and within fields. Donal’s cropping regime consists of winter wheat, winter barley, winter oats, spring oats and spring beans. A large proportion of these crops go for seed, which requires rigorous machinery hygiene, record keeping and weed control. A proportion of those crops is destined for feed and he also grows gluten-free oats for Glanbia. He farms around 300ac, half of which is owned and the remaining is share farmed. He also harvests around 200ac on contract.
Donal runs a plough-based system, but min-tills when conditions allow. Last year, he also trialled direct drilling some of his crops and intends on doing the same this spring.
He was able to plant 90% of his planned winter crop area, but has to replant 9ac of this. He intends on planting a deep-rooting cover crop mix on areas of waterlogged crops, which don’t justify replanting. Donal is an ITLUS member.
Lismore, Waterford
Philip farms just south of the Knockmealdown Mountains in Lismore, Waterford. He grows a variety of crops including winter and spring barley, winter wheat, fodder beet and winter or spring oats. He also normally grows spring beans.
Most of his cereal crops are grown for feed and are sold directly to farmers or to Dermot O’Leary, Cork. Philip also grows around 80ac of spring barley seed each year for Goldcrop. His fodder beet crops are sold to beef and dairy farmers in the area. Philip was able to sow most of his planned area last autumn, but he may have to replant a small amount of winter barley.
Around half of his farmed area is owned, while the rest is either rented or leased. His land is quite favourable for crop production, as it is mostly limestone and free draining soils.
He runs a plough-based system, but also uses a grubber to cultivate the ground before direct-drilling when conditions allow.
A share of his spring barley will be established using the grubber this year. He grows a phacelia, vetch and mustard cover crop mix under GLAS. Philip is a member of the Blackwater Tillage discussion group and is IASIS registered.
Bangor, Down
Located between Bangor and Donaghadee, David farms in partnership with his mother and father, John and Elizabeth, producing cereals, oilseed and beef cattle.
David grows winter oilseed rape, winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley and winter oats. All of his cereals are grown for feed, with the exception of his milling oats, which he is growing for Whites Oats.
Around 53% of his farmed area is owned, 12% is rented and the rest is farmed under stubble-to-stubble contract.
He describes his average land type as medium-loam and due to its sand content and his location and climate, dryness can be an issue at times.
He runs a plough-based system, but is interested in exploring direct drill systems on his farm.
Last autumn was a tricky one, but he still managed to sow 80% of his planned winter area. Most of these crops are in good condition, although there are some patchy areas. David is the chair of the Ulster Farmers Union Seeds and Cereals committee.
Stabannon, Louth
Gareth farms in Stabannon, close to Castlebellingham, Louth. In 2001, he adopted a min-till establishment system. In 2008, he started direct drilling and in 2011 he moved to no-till. He farms across 550ac, where 130ac is owned and the remainder is rented.
He generally grows a combination of winter wheat, winter barley, winter oats, winter oilseed rape, spring oats, spring beans, a spring pea/barley and winter bean/oat combi-crop. Most of his grain goes for feed to either Drummonds, Deeside Agri or InterAgrow.
His land type is mixed, ranging from light free-draining to much heavier soils. He was able to plant just 25% of his planned winter crop area last autumn, due to the poor weather.
Gareth focuses on reducing inputs where possible. He is an avid grower of cover crops and grows a number of different mixes. Most cereals are also grown with a companion crop. He is one of the founding members of Base Ireland and a big focus on his farm is learning about improving soil health.
Kinsale, Cork
Martin’s home farm is located in Kinsale, Cork, but he also operates further east in Carrigaline and Cobh and further north in Kilkenny. He farms in partnership with his father Jim.
He generally operates a four-year rotation, growing winter barley, winter oats, sugar beet and spring barley and wheat. Martin usually aims to sow 600ac of winter cereals every year, but due to the poor autumn, managed to sow just 330ac.
He grows his oats on contract for Flahavan’s and is in his second year of growing spring malting barley for Southern Farm Fuels.
Due to demand from his customers, 90% of his beet crops are sugar beet varieties.
Approximately 20% of his farmed ground is owned, 40% is under long-term share-farm agreements, 20% is under long-term lease while the remainder is conacre.
Martin operates across a mixture of soil types, but his land would be early. He operates a plough-based establishment system and is a regular user of organic manures, using over 1m gallons of pig slurry annually.
Tuam, Galway
Gerry farms just outside of Tuam in Galway. Around half of his farmed area is owned, while the other half is leased on a five-year basis.
He grows winter barley, winter oats and spring barley, generally on a two- to three-year rotation. All of his crops are destined for feed and are sold either to Liffey Mills or directly to farmers. He describes his climate as that typically found in the west of Ireland, with short weather windows.
This can make work a challenge at times. Despite this, Gerry managed to sow all of his planned winter crop area last autumn. While his crops are around six weeks behind where they were this time last year, they survived the winter very well.
He has no hedgerows on the farm and instead plants cover crops of forage rape and leafy turnips to meet his greening obligations. He also grows cover crops as part of GLAS. Each year, he buys in store lambs to graze the cover crops and return manure to the soil.
He runs a plough-based system and establishes his cover crops with a set of discs and an airseeder.
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