Remarkable weather: While we may wonder what the consequences of this fine weather may be, we must still make the best of it. Most land in the country is now in good condition and it may be foolish to pass up on these good planting opportunities. It could prove foolish not to avail of this timely opportunity to get some planting done.

The warm conditions are obviously adding to the pressure on winter crops to grow too. Winter barley sends the most visible signals but it is time to have some fertiliser on all crops. If we do not feed the potential to grow then we are, by default, decreasing the yield potential of our crops.

Thankfully there are very few problems to report from anywhere and if we get a good bit of planting done now, any issues with crows should be well diluted. While winter and early crops look remarkably good at the moment, it is what they look like in early April that really matters.

Beans: A number of growers have been planting beans but many are indifferent. This could prove to be a decision that one might regret. At the moment some buyers are offering €210/t green as a minimum harvest price to attract production. And with green feed barley currently looking more like €150 than €200/t next harvest, the memories of 2018 might quickly be erased.

This week we detailed a simple comparison of predicted margins from beans versus spring feeding barley. While seed may limit overall production it would be a calamity not to produce the maximum available area on the most suitable heavier land.

Conditions are generally ideal for planting now. Fanfare is the most available variety but there may be some Boxer and a little Lynx about also. Target a seeding rate of 35-40 seeds/m2 in these conditions. If soil fertility is low it is essential to get some P and K down with the seed but preferably not in direct contact with the seeds. An index 1 soil needs 50kg P/ha plus 125kg K/ha. An index 2 soil needs 40kg P and 60kg K/ha. Index 3 is 20 and 40 kg/ha.

Spring cereals: We may be waiting a while to match the current good ground conditions so get some of your crops planted now. It is now timely for all spring cereals so get some acres planted. Seed rates should target about 320 seeds/m2 for spring wheat, 350 seeds/m2 for spring oats and 370 seeds/m2 for malting barley.

As with beans, ensure that soil fertility is optimum and apply fertiliser down the spout on low fertility fields. Crop choice should be influenced by soil pH level with oats best equipped to grow well at lower pH levels. Barley needs a high pH though, preferably above 6.5.

Spring fertiliser: Winter crops are now looking hungry where growth is happening and fertiliser is not yet applied. It is essential to have some level of fertiliser on all winter crops at this point. It can be difficult to balance the requirement for N, P K and sulphur at the same time.