Listening to people from across the country, a common sentiment echoed when reflecting on this year has been the appreciation of decent weather and the joy of in-person events.
A significant event taking place every year, the National Ploughing Championships was elevated even further this September, as Ireland took the honour of hosting the World Ploughing in Co Laois.
Clive Carter, this year’s host, as well as being president of the Irish Tillage and Land Use Society (ITLUS) and secretary of the Irish Grain Growers Group (IGG) reflects on the year: “Favourable price, yields and harvest conditions are a rarity in Ireland, which is why 2022 will most certainly be a year to remember for tillage farmers.
"An excellent autumn and back end in 2021 saw winter crops go in in good conditions and get off to great start. The good weather continued for most of the winter and spring crops went in in good conditions too.
"Crops had a fairly decent growing season. It got quite dry during the summer, but most of the crops were past their most vulnerable phases.
"Harvest 2022 was a dream for most farmers. It kicked off relatively early and, for the majority, had favourable conditions throughout.
"Despite the very dry summer, yields remained favourable, particularly for wheat, oilseed rape and spring barley. The prices remained reasonably strong.
"The high of the year was hosting a very successful National and World Ploughing Championships. Having competitors from across the world visiting the farm and remarking on the beauty of the area and landscape in which we farm was a highlight. Overall, it was most certainly a year to remember for Irish tillage farmers."
Forestry
Damien Brophy runs Brophy Timber Services.
“We work on all aspects of forestry. If there are trees or timber products involved, then so are we,” he explains.
Work involves supplying farmers, sawmills, energy companies and state bodies.
“2022 started very busy, with strong demand and strong prices for timber. Early in the year, our sector, like many others, was put under pressure again due to the fall-out from the war in Ukraine increasing input costs even further. The summer brought great weather and great conditions for working in the forests.
"As autumn approached, whispers of timber price cuts were being heard throughout the industry. One thing for sure is that prices are back, but maybe throughout COVID they were slightly inflated.
"One of the ongoing challenges the forestry industry has been facing is attracting young people to work in it.
"In my opinion, this can only be solved when we, the stakeholders, start to have a bit more respect for the industry that we work in.
"We need to be the leaders in promoting the forestry sector. Then we can start looking for new people. Hopefully this is what 2023 can bring.”
Machinery
Meanwhile, marketing manager with McHale of Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, Paul McHale summed up the year in a way that will resonate with many: “Upon reflection, 2022 has been a turbulent year that has delivered many challenges which we have overcome with the help of our customers, dealers and suppliers."
"The year opened with supply chain challenges, which have levelled out as the year progressed. COVID continued to cause its share of difficulty, but looks like that has been put behind us.
"More recently, we have had the energy crisis to contend with, which is a concern for everyone in some way or another.
"However, this year saw the return of trade shows in Ireland and around the world, which allowed us to meet our customers in a face-to-face capacity and travel to international markets.
"We look forward to next year, with new products coming on stream and we are seeing good demand and orders for our product range in Ireland and worldwide for 2023.”
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