It may not have been an ideal autumn for planting but it seems likely that around 85% of the intended winter cereal area has now been planted.

Virtually all winter barley is now planted but there is still an amount of wheat and oats to be sown in many counties. Many growers have already finished winter crop planting.

It is thought that winter barley area is similar to last year, at around 55,000ha. It is possible that carry-over seed on farms may push the area up slightly, but a growing interest in malting barley is likely to be impacting on winter barley planting in areas like Wexford and east Cork.

There is still a proportion of winter wheat and oats to be drilled

While the weather in mid-September was quite good for planting, conditions got a bit more challenging as planting got under way in earnest from late September. Broken weather and occasional wet spells slowed progress. While those operating plough/one-pass systems made continuous progress, many using min-till and direct drill systems had fewer working days as the season moved on. Still, most of that work seems to be up to date now too.

There is still a proportion of winter wheat and oats to be drilled, with 15-25% estimated depending on location.

Ground conditions have also been an issue across the northern half of the country

This is mainly due to unsuitable ground conditions across much of the southern half of the country, especially along coastal counties from Cork to Wicklow.

Ground conditions have also been an issue across the northern half of the country, where overall wheat area could well be up on a normal year. It is possible that the national area could exceed 60,000ha if the last of the crops can be planted following potato and maize harvesting.

While there is still a proportion of winter sown oats to be planted, the final area is likely to settle between 12,000 and 14,000ha.