Weather: It’s been a difficult few weeks, weather-wise between wind and rain. This week is still showery, but there might be more opportunities to spray.

By this week fungicides should be wrapping up on many spring crops and some later-sown winter wheat crops are still receiving their T3. There are a lot of weeds in maize and beet crops.

Most are probably on the second split of beet herbicides, while uncovered maize has a good few weeds in some crops. Check in with your agronomist for the best options.

Spring barley: Final sprays on spring barley crops have been delayed on many farms as rain has kept sprayers out of fields. Some might have gotten into crops this week during small opportunities. Folpet is needed on the final spray for ramularia. The target is the awns emerging stage, but some will have missed this in the weather or may delay it as the previous spray was late, but apply in around this timing.

The main products will likely contain prothioconazole and an SDHI or some sort of triazole, strobilurin mix and an SDHI. If your crop has not received any fungicide then give it one good spray and look after any nutrient deficiencies. Stressed crops may benefit from a bio-stimulant, but check nutrition is looked after. If you missed a plant growth regulator application then maybe add in some foliar potash to help with straw strength, especially on varieties with weaker straw.

Blackgrass: It’s the time of year to look out for grass weeds in crops. Blackgrass is headed out in many fields now and should be pulled. If it is in high numbers it needs to be whole-cropped or top patches and spray them off once they regrow. Blackgrass is a noxious weed. It has to be controlled on all farms. It carries 6,000 seeds on each plant so spreads rapidly. It needs to be controlled before going to seed.

Wild oats: Wild oats are another noxious weed and there looks to be a lot uncontrolled around the country. The cost of controlling wild oats with a herbicide is significant and it looks like people are choosing not to spray. If you are not spraying them then you need to pull them or you will have a bigger problem next year.

Other grass weeds which are not noxious can cause serious problems as well and add to farm costs in the long run. Weeds like Italian ryegrass, canary grass and bromes all need to be controlled each year and should not be allowed go to seed.

Open days: There are plenty of open days and evenings on these days. Try get out to some of them. Drummonds, Goldcrop, Seedtech and Teagasc all have events on in June. On Thursday, 25 June the Irish Farmers Journal will host a podcast recording at UCD Lyons Farm. UCD will host a crop’s open evening at 6pm showing research on milling wheat, oats, nitrogen, carbon footprints, alternative crops and intercropping. The podcast will take place afterwards with UCD’s Tom McCabe, Kevin McDonnell and Finbar Mulligan.