Exactly four months on from sowing his spring barley on 20 March, Ger O’Meara began harvesting under the Knockmealdown Mountains in Co Tipperary on 20 July.

We caught up with Ger last week, as he came near the end of what has been the earliest spring barley harvest on the farm ever.

Yields were good for the dry summer that it has been in recent weeks. Ger placed the average spring barley yield at 2.8t/ac, in a range of 2.4 to over 3t/ac, well back on his regular average of about 3.25t/ac.

He’d generally have about eight bales/ac of straw, but this year was up at nine.

“We’ve lost nearly two weeks of grain fill and this is the result,” Ger said.

The heatwave did not allow the green leaf to be maintained and yield was hit. That said, the SY Amity for Tirlán looked to be hitting 3t/ac at low moisture and over 3t/ac after beet.

The heatwave and continuation of the dry spell did allow for a much easier harvest so far. Crops were cut with relative ease, straw was baled in excellent order and the combines were moving early in the mornings, with plenty of caution along the way, cleaning machinery and preventing over-heating.

Winter barley and oats did have to be cut in somewhat of a rush, winter barley in particular, as moisture contents dropped rapidly in the high temperatures of early July. The crop generally came in at 14-15% moisture content.

The oats have been consistent over the last number of years. This year, yields averaged 3.9t/ac, above the general average of 3.7t/ac. The oats go for porridge to Flahavan’s and this offers a good premium on top of the consistent yield.

Consistency is key on the farm. Ger knows his average yields. He has targets and if crops or varieties aren’t meeting them then changes need to be made.

The winter oilseed rape averaged 1.97t/ac at 7-9% moisture content, so that was a great result.

The O’Mearas grew winter wheat up to 2022 and Ger said they were able to get high yields, but there were years where targets would not be met and for the expense of growing the crop, he thinks spring barley is a better option.

It has less inputs and is more suited to the drier ground of south Tipperary.

Ger said he aims to grow crops on premium contracts where possible, but wonders if it’s worth it at times. The SY Amity was doing well and passed the specs for Tirlán, but the malting premium has more than halved in the past two years, but as Ger says, it’s the same product and same specs. Feed might be a better option.

You can choose the variety and drive yield.

He wasn’t happy with his Cassia winter barley this year. The bonus over feed price will not make up for the yield loss and, as a result, he won’t grow the variety again.

The straw on the LG Mermaid spring barley was breaking down and needed to be harvested. Straw can be an issue on a number of spring barley varieties, but if it breaks down in a dry year, it could be hard to cut in time in a wet year.

Having two combines moving all the time is a big help.

Ger’s father Patrick drives one combine, while Ger and local farmer Liam Ryan rotate on the other. When Ger is not on the combine at harvest, he is loading grain, arranging grain and straw deliveries, and keeping all of the machinery moving.

KPH levels were generally very good on his spring barley. The SY Amity was coming in at 68-72 KPH, which are really good figures. The Mermaid wasn’t hitting those levels.

Break crops are important on the farm and are generally followed by winter barley and then spring barley, but Ger would like to get to a situation where most cereals are first cereals after a break crop.

Oilseed rape and oats have been consistent for Ger and he grew beans this year for the first time since 2023.

Beet is a very important break crop on the farm, providing plenty or work, but adding value to the ground and providing a good return. Ger added potatoes to the rotation this year as well, working alongside another farmer. The oilseed rape, beans and potatoes all allow seed to be grown in the following slot bringing another grain bonus.

Ger has regular customers for all of his straw, no doubt because he delivers good-quality straw. This year has been easier to get straw saved in good condition.

As we chatted on the combine, Ger was organising straw to be loaded. He sells locally and to farmers in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Mayo.

He stores some straw for himself, but very little for sale. Ger noted it’s terrible to be so dependent on the by-product of the grain for income.

There is still winter rye to be harvested and Ger expects the spring beans to be cut before the end of August, if the current weather continues.

The beans were drilled early and cutting them early wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing given the years they can be a struggle to harvest in places.

Cover crops also need to be planted, but land was far too dry for that when we visited. As the cover crops go in, the cropping plan for 2027 will be finalised and no doubt Ger will examine crop performance and compare it to his target yields.

The O’Meara’s farm is focused on consistency and decisions are made to keep yields as consistent as possible and returns as high as possible, in what are currently very difficult grain markets, coupled with high input costs.

Grain prices remain a big challenge for tillage farmers and Ger sees the 400,000ha target for tillage area in the country as unreachable as farmers struggle to make a decent income.

“Every single cost is gone up from diesel to tyres,” Ger commented. He is fed up of hearing the word sustainability, adding that it is not adding anything to his bottom line, no one is paying for sustainably produced grain that Irish farmers are growing.

Ger noted that straw, the by-product of the grain, is a big help to his income. The confirmation of funding for the Straw Incorporation Measure was welcome last week. Ger chops his oilseed rape straw and he said the scheme actually puts money in farmers pockets, while doing good for the environment.

Looking at the positive side of things, Ger is thankful himself and his father have a good team around them. Straw isn’t baled or grain cut and delivered in good order without a strong team from machinery operators to mechanics and nephews and nieces loading straw and pulling wild oats.

The dry weather has made harvest easier, though there was a yield penalty as crops came in early. Rye looks like it will do well and Ger would like to grow a bit more of it. He’ll sit down and assess the figures on what performed and didn’t in the coming days and weeks and order seed and varieties based on those results.

You can listen to the full interview with Ger on this week’s Tillage Podcast.