Teagasc crop advisers estimate that 50% of this year’s tillage crops remain to be harvested. Following a survey earlier this week, they report that the recent storms have caused serious damage to crops, with a proportion blown and beaten into the ground.

Many crops have suffered grain losses through shedding and ear loss separate to the impact of lodging or the ability to get them off the ground whenever harvesting can take place.

Some estimates suggest yield losses of up to 20% already and this will only increase as wet weather continues.

Getting crops off the ground

For now, the major challenge is to get crops off the ground. If that does not happen, there is increased risk of germination and fusarium, adding to the levels of loss.

Continuous wetting and drying alone will contribute to a reduction in yield and that is happening alongside the other physical losses.

This weather is really serious for the malting sector, where a reduction in quality is leading to even higher rejection levels.

On top of all these problems, poor ground conditions following the recent heavy rains are adding further to the challenges.

Now, even more time is needed to get crops to dry and land to soak before harvesting can recommence.

Spring barley

The survey suggests that less than half of the 140,000ha of spring barley is harvested. And nationally, the estimate is that only about 30% of the winter wheat has been cut.

While harvest progress is best towards the south, there has been least progress in the northeast, where traditional winter cereals had to be replaced by later-maturing spring crops because of the poor ground conditions last autumn.

Teagasc’s Shay Phelan said that yield expectations vary around the country, being highest in the south, which had a better growing season, and lower in the midlands and northeast where drought bit harder.

However, yields to date in the drought-affected regions have been somewhat better than expected and the south of the country had been having exceptional yields.

Yields shrinking daily

But now the south has taken the worst beating from the storms and the exceptional yields that were in the fields there are now shrinking daily in the bad weather.

And that’s assuming that growers can get them harvested ahead of the catastrophic losses that could occur if harvesting is delayed much longer.

Growers should consider talking with neighbours and friends, as this can be a frustrating and depressing time

This report confirms that straw yields are well back, by up to 50% on many farms, and saving the remaining straw is likely to be difficult. Demand for straw is slow, but picking up, and if there is a demand surge, the straw may not just be there as choppers are now being activated on some farms ahead of the potential for further problems if autumn planting is delayed.

These problems will inevitably further hit tillage incomes and a further quality decrease will result in the loss of malting and seed premiums for many growers.

Growers should consider talking with neighbours and friends, as this can be a frustrating and depressing time.

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