It has been a busy week on most tillage farms around the country.

Many growers were able to make good progress with spring ploughing and fertiliser applications, with others taking the opportunity to catch up on spraying.

Spring planting has begun, with a reasonable amount of spring beans now in the ground.

However, ground conditions are extremely mixed nationwide, with planting confined to the driest fields. Ground conditions are described as cold and quite slow to dry out.

However, as we are still in the first half of March, growers say this is to be expected.

Where spring planting has started, growers raced against time in anticipation of a break in the weather this week.

There has also been a limited amount of spring wheat and oats planted

Reasonable progress has been made with spring bean planting, with many growers now finished.

Spring barley planting has commenced in early areas, with growers sowing distilling barley on their driest ground. There has also been a limited amount of spring wheat and oats planted.

While planting has been halted this week due to wet weather, many growers are further ahead now than they were this time last year.

Potatoes and beet

Good progress has been made harvesting the last of the 2020 potato crop, estimated to be around 200ac.

Due to wet weather last autumn and cold weather at the start of this year, conditions were only suitable for harvesting these crops over the last week.

Reports suggest that crop condition is reasonably good, with just a limited amount of frost and bird damage.

The 2021 early potato crop planting has begun in dryer parts of the country.

The beet harvest has drawn to an end in most areas, with reports suggesting that beet supplies are now tight.