1. Domestic grain supply (A)

It is an obvious one – as an island nation, imports are costly. Native Irish feed grain is vital, particularly when grain prices spike. That usually happens when supplies are tight, and availability for a relatively small and isolated market like Ireland can become an issue. Irish production only fulfils half of our total domestic requirement; any significant reduction would leave us dangerously exposed to global supply contraction and price escalation, as happened in 2012.

2. Domestic grain supply (B)

Imported grain price spikes and availability are not the only reasons for valuing domestic grain production. Origin Green is the basis on which we are marketing our meat and milk produce all over the world. The idea of Ireland as a food island loses some integrity if we continue to willingly import grain from God knows where to feed our animals. Far better to complement our grass-based production with quality Irish grain, free of GMs and produced under the EU’s rigorous regime regarding pesticides and environmental awareness.

3. Straw

Again, it is hardly rocket science. Our tillage farmers produce about two million 4x4 straw bales annually. The prevalence of slats has reduced the requirement of straw for bedding, but its use as a ration component has increased, plus its composting requirement. In years of fodder scarcity, it is a vital emergency roughage – as happened in 2013. Imported grains bring no straw.

4. Protein crops

We have traditionally imported most of our animal protein, but there are reasons why this is changing, and should. Firstly, greening has increased the amount of tillage farmers planting protein crops, with an added top-up payment incentive. Secondly, it’s getting very hard to source non-GM protein crops internationally. It may be a distinct marketing advantage to use a non-GM ration, particularly for high-end European consumer markets. Domestically produced protein crops such as beans, peas, and oilseed rape can best supply this need.

5. Contractors

Many tillage farmers also do some contracting. Some carry out a full range of tasks, from silage to slurry spreading, but many more bale, plough, till and drill. Reseeding is important and expensive on livestock farms, who better to help out than your friendly local tillage farmer.

6. Machinery dealers

Your local machinery dealer generates a lot of his turnover from tillage farmers. Sales, service and spare parts are kept busy by farmers whose tractors and machinery are running whenever it’s dry overhead. Without this turnover, our dealer network would shrink.

7. Other support services

There were 277,000ha of cereals this year. The cost of fertiliser, pesticides, fuel and other inputs comes in at around €400/ha. This totals at over €110m annually, money circulating through the rural agri-business economy. The sector is also important for merchants and co-ops.

8. Carbon targets

It’s a little known fact that Ireland is the most carbon-efficient producer of grain in Europe. This is because of our long daylight hours during the growing season, and the high yields they deliver year-on-year. As Irish farming faces into the daunting challenge of meeting our commitments under binding European and international climate change agreements, the tillage sector can play a huge role. Crops can act as carbon traps, green cover holds nutrients through the winter months, and our emissions-efficient crop production can aid the national effort. Bioenergy and biofuel crops can offset the gases produced in livestock production to ensure farming fulfils its effort-sharing requirements. Catch crops also help in this regard.

9. Slurry bank

The pig and poultry sectors are very important to the tillage sector, using vast amounts of grain. The reverse is also true, and not just because of grain supply. Pigs and poultry generate huge volumes of slurry and chicken litter, with ever-stricter rules regarding how it is utilised. The tillage land-bank is essential to pig producers and poultry farmers to take their slurry and litter, which is of course a valuable and sought after nutrient and soil conditioner. It’s a perfect marriage, one that really should see the pig and poultry sectors located in tillage areas. That is the case in most other countries, but our farming evolved differently.

10. Potatoes, beer, and whiskey

Most farmers consider the day incomplete if they haven’t had their spuds. It’s our tillage farmers who grow them, in between grain crops. In addition, grain farming gives us malting, brewing, distilling, bran, flour, porridge and other breakfast cereals. The impact of grain farming on our economy and our society is both deep and wide.

The Potterton factor

Finally, if this evidence hasn’t convinced you, think on this. Gerald Potterton – whose column is worth the price of this publication on its own many weeks – is a tillage farmer. No tillage, no Potterton column. It is too awful to contemplate. Support your local grain farmer this and every harvest.