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Winter sowing is finally starting to go to plan in most parts of the country.
In areas of Tipperary, Laois Kildare, Dublin, and Meath, sowing will be complete by the weekend. Other areas are unlikely to see the potential planned winter acreage planted. Some farmers have decided against sowing at this stage, and have cancelled or returned seed.
Speaking at an IFA grain meeting in Enniscorthy on Tuesday, grain chair Liam Dunne estimated only 40% of planting had been done prior to the current window but progress was being made as ground improved with the most settled spell since early August.
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Slugs are a concern on heavier ground, particularly where crops have not been rolled. Rolling of recently sowed crops may be possible if drying is as good as predicted towards the weekend. Barley acreage will be hardest hit, as the opportunity to cultivate has come about 10 days later than ideal.
Instead, farmers are switching to oats and particularly wheat. In the more traditionally spring crop areas of the southeast, some are opting to wait until spring.
Three-crop rule
For those not planting, the three-crop rule is an issue. Beans and beet are being mentioned as options to wheat, barley and oats.
Many farmers cannot consider the option of equivalence, where a catch crop is planted post-harvest to comply with the three-crop rule, as their GLAS plan includes catch crop and the two schemes cannot overlap.
Potatoes and beet are being harvested in earnest, and the maize harvest will be all but wrapped up by the weekend.
Maize crops damaged by Ophelia have been mostly salvaged, although going was slow.
As long as the weather lasts, tillage farmers will stay busy.
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