Vinny McIntyre, Kill, Co Kildare

“The weather has affected some of the crops, but not all. Our winter barley and oilseed rape are all fine, but the later sown winter wheat and our oats are patchy where there were flooded patches on fields – we’ll have to do some patchwork on them. But overall, all the early stuff is grand.

“In relation to seed availability, we’re not going to require an awful lot.

“We have home-saved bean seed that we’ll be growing our beans from and we will buy some.

“We’re told that whatever bit of oat seed or spring wheat seed we might need for patching in the crops that we’ve already sown, it will be available. We won’t have any spring barley anyway.”

Nigel Gillis, Grangecon, Co Wicklow

“We have winter wheat which was sown from home-saved seed and direct-drilled – it looks pretty good overall.

“In relation to the winter barley, the dry fields are reasonably good, but the wetter fields are a disaster. They’re wiped out and there are springs where I never saw springs before.

“I’ll probably just run out and re-sow some of them, because it’s very low cost for me – it’s all home-saved seed.

“In terms of the three crop rule, it doesn’t bother me, as I have plenty of crops. The only thing that would affect me is with winter barley versus spring barley.

“I could have a field mixed because I’ll probably stitch in.”

Owen Maleady Crookedwood, Co Westmeath

“I had sown six-row winter barley, winter oilseed rape, and I went with cover crops as well – that was included in ACRES. The cover crops I’m happy with, they’re looking well; they went in the middle of August.

“My winter rape I’m actually very disappointed with – I’d sown it in the last week of August, which was probably later than what’s recommended, but it went in in the ideal conditions.

“It was a plough, till, sow scenario. I’m actually after pulling that out in the last week and put in a bit of winter wheat.

“My winter barley I’m very happy with it and that’s sort of my only hope at the moment.”