Unlike last year, October has proven very difficult to get field work done and there is probably much less than half the normal planting done as a consequence.

And some of what is being done at the moment is less than ideal. The one thing that is certain is that very frequent light rain is helping slugs.

As has been the case in recent months, rainfall amounts have been quite variable, with tillage areas receiving from 16.4mm to 80mm in the past week, according to Met Éireann.

The south, midlands and northwest have received most rain but many other tillage areas had still only received just over half their 30-year monthly average on 25 October.

It has been difficult to get out on land to either plant, gather straw or even graze grass.

Soil temperatures appear to have cooled considerably also and were only 1°C to 2°C above normal in the past week. This has implications for land still to be planted.

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