2018 - a year that taught everyone a lesson

Weather dominated the farming agenda in 2018. Right across the country, farmers battled to contend with heavy snowfall in March followed by a prolonged wet spring. In the southern half of the country turnout to grass was delayed by at least six to eight weeks with farmers in the southeast hardest hit.

For these same farmers, there was no let-up with a wet spring replaced by a record dry summer. Of course, the dry conditions didn’t affect all equally and for many farmers in the west and on heavier ground in northern counties, 2018 was one of the best grazing years in over a decade.

It was a similar picture for tillage farmers and while winter crops performed well, harvested at low moistures, spring crops, particularly on lighter soils, yielded extremely poorly. Thankfully a kind autumn allowed for almost ideal conditions for winter plantings.

There is no doubt that a year such as 2018 teaches us all lessons. One of the early lessons was just how important all cogs in the chain are in keeping the industry functioning. The efforts made by lorry drivers to keep milk and meal moving, despite treacherous road conditions, should not go unrecognised. One would hope that in recent days farmers left a token of their appreciation either on the top of the bulk tank or at the meal bin.

We must also acknowledge the extent to which farmers themselves rose to the challenge. We saw numerous examples of how farmers helped keep rural towns and villages open and vital services functioning by clearing roads. At the same time, the effort farmers made to ensure stock were fed and watered throughout the blizzards shows once again how farming is much more than just a job.

The late spring and dry summer perhaps taught us all a more sobering lesson around the need to build flexibility into farming systems. Throughout the summer, I was reminded of advice I received from a very successful farmer some years ago: the art of farming is finding out where 100% is but having the sense to run the farm at 90%.

It is perhaps a rule that needs to be applied more often when we talk about farm output, given the extent to which the production model is so weather-dependent.

Another saying: never let a good crisis go to waste. Again, it is apt when discussing the lessons of 2018. Due to record low grass growth over the summer, we saw many farmers facing into a winter fodder crisis. The response to the crisis demonstrates clearly the potential dividend that exists from better collaboration between our tillage and livestock sectors. We saw record levels of catch crops planted on tillage farms to help boost reserves. As we reported recently on the machinery pages in the Irish Farmers Journal, we have seen innovative ways of harvesting these crops that allows for them to be cut fresh and brought in for feeding. 2018 showed the potential that exists to get more out of our tillage ground. Hopefully it will be continued in 2019.

The role of industry in helping farmers through a difficult year should also be recognised. We saw many examples of vets going the extra mile to help during the snow. The extent to which farmers relied on the services of Teagasc to give advice on how to get through the extreme conditions shows the organisation’s value. Co-ops were also to the fore in supporting their members, whether through sourcing fodder or providing increased flexibility around credit – a service many private merchants also provided, despite it putting pressure on their own cashflows.

The role Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed and the Department played in supporting farmers also deserves recognition. While pressuring for a more immediate response in the face of a crisis is understandable, the securing of funds and the rollout of any scheme is perhaps more complex than would appear on the surface.

As the dust settles, the farming community should look back at 2018 with a sense of great pride at how it rose to the challenges.

Let’s hope for a more straightforward 2019 but let’s not forget the lessons we learned in 2018.

The vote by a huge majority in the European Parliament in Strasbourg to approve the EU-Japan free-trade deal is a rare good news story for farmers in the European Union.

This is the only free-trade deal that the EU will ever do that has only an upside for farmers with no downside at all.

Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and is nowhere near self-sufficient when it comes to food production. That means it is one of the top three importing countries in the world for beef, pigmeat and dairy produce.

They are, however, seriously protective of their farming and food industries through the use of high tariff barriers on beef (38.5%) and cheese (30%).

The deal is due to come into effect in February 2019 with 95% of tariffs eliminated immediately. Japan will continue to protect rice and beef – the tariffs on these products will be reduced slowly, to 9.5% over 15 years.

The free-trade deal is one that is coveted by the US agriculture secretary, yet strangely from a farming perspective, it was opposed by Irish MEPs from Sinn Féin, as well as Luke Ming Flanagan.

As 2018 draws to a close, our thoughts are with all those families who lost loved ones in a farm accident. While the reduction in farm fatalities in 2018 is a positive development, it is little comfort to those affected.

Farm safety is higher up the agenda than in previous years but there can be no complacency. It is well worth sitting down as a family over the next few days and committing as a team to look at what measures can be taken to reduce the risks out on farm.

A simple step like hanging these commitments on the kitchen door can help keep the issue front of mind throughout the year.

Our Focus supplement has a number of tips on how you can improve safety on your farm.

In the past week we have seen both the EU and Irish Government publish their latest plans for a no-deal Brexit. Neither plan provided any insight into what measures will be taken to protect farm incomes.

We would certainly have expected detailed measures from the Government. Instead, the section of the report relating to agriculture merely contained what could only be described as an amalgam of press releases issued over the past 12 months.

The report appears to totally ignore the fact that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the agri-food trade with the UK won’t actually be viable under World Trade Organisation tariffs – therefore, the need to increase the size of our ports may not be as pressing as some believe.

While there is a clear commitment given by Government that farmers won’t be “abandoned” in a no-deal scenario – as An Tánaiste Simon Coveney told this paper in September – it is time to show the sector what this looks like.

We would like to wish all our readers a safe and prosperous new year. Our Agri Careers event will return on 14 February 2019, while in early July we plan to host a major national beef and sheep day on our suckler and sheep demonstration farm in Tullamore. We look forward to welcoming our readers and commercial clients to both events.