Donal O’Keeffe – Delvin,
Westmeath
Westmeath seems to have missed the worst of the weather lately, says Donal. While his fields are wet, it wouldn’t take much dry weather before the ground would be trafficable again. In general, crops are looking quite even, with just a few wet and uneven spots in fields. However, earlier this week Donal took plant counts and found that establishment rates were a lot lower than planned. When sowing earlier crops, he was aiming for 90% establishment. He reduced this to 85% as the season progressed.
Estblishment is patchy in places in Donal's oilseed rape crop.
However, he found that establishment rates of crops which were min-tilled were as low as 66% in places, and as low as 78% in crops which were sown into ploughed ground. Donal can’t put his finger on the reason why. The crops were sown at the correct depth into reasonable seedbeds. He generally doesn’t have any issues with seed vigour from his suppliers so he wonders if not being able to roll the ground after sowing was partly to blame. He did note that there were some losses to birds as well, however.
Herbicides
Most of his winter barley crops received a post-emerge spray of Clayton Tacit (0.35l/ha) and Stride (0.25l/ha). He will likely wait until spring to spray winter wheat and oat crops, however. “There are good spring control options for wheat, oats are generally good at suppressing weeds themselves,” Donal explains. He has yet to apply an aphicide on his winter crops and may leave it altogether if he thinks aphid pressure is low.
Donal is catching up on jobs around the farm yard this time of year
His winter oilseed rape is coming along well and he thinks an application of slug pellets earlier in the season was vital to this. Slug pressure in oilseed rape crops is high in his area.
Like most tillage farmers, Donal is catching up on jobs around the farm yard this time of year. He is in the process of converting an old barn to a new farm office. “We’re doing up an old barn and when we’re done, there’ll be enough space to run a socially distanced discussion group next year,” he remarks.
Philip Heskin – Lismore,
Waterford
There has been a lot of rain in Waterford over the past two weeks. As a result, river levels are high, springs have risen and ground is wet. However, crops are in good shape and are able to take it, Philip explains. All sowing was completed in good conditions and establishment was excellent.
“The crops got a good start to life and plant counts are healthy. I’d be happy for cold weather to come now to shut everything down for the winter,” says Philip.
Philip washes beet with a campion harvester dipped into a modified slurry tank.
Crop stages vary from two to five leaves. Most crops have now received an autumn herbicide of Tower at 2l/ha. He added in Cameo Max at 20g/ha in some fields to help control groundsel, a problem weed on his farm. He also added the aphicide Sumi Alpha into the tank.
A small amount of later-sown winter wheat has yet to receive a herbicide, however. He says that weed pressure is low in this field and he will likely wait until the spring and apply Alister Flex.
Beet
Philip has made a start to his beet harvest and so far the crops appear to be yielding very well. His Enermax fodder beet is thought to be yielding around 35t/ac. He hasn’t pulled any of his Conviso Smart sugar beet yet and it will likely be next spring before he will see how the crop has performed. The dairy farmers who he supplies generally don’t start feeding sugar beet until after spring calving.
Philip explains that when he applies his first post-emerge herbicide on his beet crops, he generally adds in an aphicide
He noticed an amount of alternaria in the crop but says he didn’t see any yellow virus. Yellow virus is spread by aphids and there have been numerous reports nationwide of the virus in beet crops this year.
Philip explains that when he applies his first post-emerge herbicide on his beet crops, he generally adds in an aphicide, targeting the leaf miner pest. This is what he attributes to the low rate of virus this year.
He washes the beet using a Campion loader washer dipped into a modified slurry tank. Beet demand is moderate so far but this will likely pick up as the season progresses.
David Matthews – Bangor,
Down
David completed winter sowing on 29 October, sowing winter wheat into ley ground. There hasn’t been much field work done on the farm since, he explains. Ground conditions and trafficability are poor, meaning he hasn’t been able to apply any autumn herbicides on his winter barley and wheat yet.
If conditions improve he will aim to spray the crops in the coming weeks. However, David explains that weed pressure isn’t particularly high and he can wait to apply a herbicide in spring if needed.
This also means that he hasn’t been able to apply an insecticide on those crops. However, aphid pressure appears to be low in his area this year. David inspects his fields for aphid numbers regularly but also uses the data supplied through the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) network of aphid monitoring stations in Northern Ireland. Information on the network as well as weekly data can be found on https://www.afbini.gov.uk/aphid-monitoring.
Seven-month-old Tess inspecting David's winter oilseed rape crop this week.
“I compare this information along with what I see in the field and I trust it. Even if there were big numbers of aphids in the fields we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it as the ground is too wet for the sprayer,” explains David.
He was able to apply a pre-emerge herbicide on his winter oat crops shortly after drilling, however.
He is happy with his winter oilseed rape, although he does think it should
be a little further ahead for the time of year
In general, he is happy with the establishment of his cereal crops this autumn. He did note that winter barley sown on low-lying ground is suffering from wet conditions and is beginning to go backwards.
He is happy with his winter oilseed rape, although he does think it should
be a little further ahead for the time of year.
The Clearfield crop will receive a herbicide application of Cleravo (1l/ha) when conditions allow to control fumitory, chickweed, dead nettle, charlock and volunteer spring oilseed rape.
This time of year consists of paperwork, machinery maintenance, input pricing and delivering grain on David’s farm. He is currently servicing cultivation equipment and will move on to the combine in a couple of weeks.
Donal O’Keeffe – Delvin,
Westmeath
Westmeath seems to have missed the worst of the weather lately, says Donal. While his fields are wet, it wouldn’t take much dry weather before the ground would be trafficable again. In general, crops are looking quite even, with just a few wet and uneven spots in fields. However, earlier this week Donal took plant counts and found that establishment rates were a lot lower than planned. When sowing earlier crops, he was aiming for 90% establishment. He reduced this to 85% as the season progressed.
Estblishment is patchy in places in Donal's oilseed rape crop.
However, he found that establishment rates of crops which were min-tilled were as low as 66% in places, and as low as 78% in crops which were sown into ploughed ground. Donal can’t put his finger on the reason why. The crops were sown at the correct depth into reasonable seedbeds. He generally doesn’t have any issues with seed vigour from his suppliers so he wonders if not being able to roll the ground after sowing was partly to blame. He did note that there were some losses to birds as well, however.
Herbicides
Most of his winter barley crops received a post-emerge spray of Clayton Tacit (0.35l/ha) and Stride (0.25l/ha). He will likely wait until spring to spray winter wheat and oat crops, however. “There are good spring control options for wheat, oats are generally good at suppressing weeds themselves,” Donal explains. He has yet to apply an aphicide on his winter crops and may leave it altogether if he thinks aphid pressure is low.
Donal is catching up on jobs around the farm yard this time of year
His winter oilseed rape is coming along well and he thinks an application of slug pellets earlier in the season was vital to this. Slug pressure in oilseed rape crops is high in his area.
Like most tillage farmers, Donal is catching up on jobs around the farm yard this time of year. He is in the process of converting an old barn to a new farm office. “We’re doing up an old barn and when we’re done, there’ll be enough space to run a socially distanced discussion group next year,” he remarks.
Philip Heskin – Lismore,
Waterford
There has been a lot of rain in Waterford over the past two weeks. As a result, river levels are high, springs have risen and ground is wet. However, crops are in good shape and are able to take it, Philip explains. All sowing was completed in good conditions and establishment was excellent.
“The crops got a good start to life and plant counts are healthy. I’d be happy for cold weather to come now to shut everything down for the winter,” says Philip.
Philip washes beet with a campion harvester dipped into a modified slurry tank.
Crop stages vary from two to five leaves. Most crops have now received an autumn herbicide of Tower at 2l/ha. He added in Cameo Max at 20g/ha in some fields to help control groundsel, a problem weed on his farm. He also added the aphicide Sumi Alpha into the tank.
A small amount of later-sown winter wheat has yet to receive a herbicide, however. He says that weed pressure is low in this field and he will likely wait until the spring and apply Alister Flex.
Beet
Philip has made a start to his beet harvest and so far the crops appear to be yielding very well. His Enermax fodder beet is thought to be yielding around 35t/ac. He hasn’t pulled any of his Conviso Smart sugar beet yet and it will likely be next spring before he will see how the crop has performed. The dairy farmers who he supplies generally don’t start feeding sugar beet until after spring calving.
Philip explains that when he applies his first post-emerge herbicide on his beet crops, he generally adds in an aphicide
He noticed an amount of alternaria in the crop but says he didn’t see any yellow virus. Yellow virus is spread by aphids and there have been numerous reports nationwide of the virus in beet crops this year.
Philip explains that when he applies his first post-emerge herbicide on his beet crops, he generally adds in an aphicide, targeting the leaf miner pest. This is what he attributes to the low rate of virus this year.
He washes the beet using a Campion loader washer dipped into a modified slurry tank. Beet demand is moderate so far but this will likely pick up as the season progresses.
David Matthews – Bangor,
Down
David completed winter sowing on 29 October, sowing winter wheat into ley ground. There hasn’t been much field work done on the farm since, he explains. Ground conditions and trafficability are poor, meaning he hasn’t been able to apply any autumn herbicides on his winter barley and wheat yet.
If conditions improve he will aim to spray the crops in the coming weeks. However, David explains that weed pressure isn’t particularly high and he can wait to apply a herbicide in spring if needed.
This also means that he hasn’t been able to apply an insecticide on those crops. However, aphid pressure appears to be low in his area this year. David inspects his fields for aphid numbers regularly but also uses the data supplied through the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) network of aphid monitoring stations in Northern Ireland. Information on the network as well as weekly data can be found on https://www.afbini.gov.uk/aphid-monitoring.
Seven-month-old Tess inspecting David's winter oilseed rape crop this week.
“I compare this information along with what I see in the field and I trust it. Even if there were big numbers of aphids in the fields we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it as the ground is too wet for the sprayer,” explains David.
He was able to apply a pre-emerge herbicide on his winter oat crops shortly after drilling, however.
He is happy with his winter oilseed rape, although he does think it should
be a little further ahead for the time of year
In general, he is happy with the establishment of his cereal crops this autumn. He did note that winter barley sown on low-lying ground is suffering from wet conditions and is beginning to go backwards.
He is happy with his winter oilseed rape, although he does think it should
be a little further ahead for the time of year.
The Clearfield crop will receive a herbicide application of Cleravo (1l/ha) when conditions allow to control fumitory, chickweed, dead nettle, charlock and volunteer spring oilseed rape.
This time of year consists of paperwork, machinery maintenance, input pricing and delivering grain on David’s farm. He is currently servicing cultivation equipment and will move on to the combine in a couple of weeks.
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