This is the time of year for tillage farmers to plan their crop choice and rotation for the year and years ahead. Good rotations are planned well in advance and many premium crops need to be slotted into specific points in a rotation.

It is generally not possible to run a specific acreage-driven rotation as field size or blocks of land will vary in size. But you still need to have a view as to where the price and profitability of a crop leave it as a real option for 2018.

If any crop looks like it cannot measure up, then an alternative should be considered, especially if it does not interfere with the overall rotation plan.

It is important to plan options within a rotation. The only forward price indicator we really have is MATIF, which is currently over €30/t below this time last year.

That said, physical prices are currently higher than MATIF and this is normally the other way around so who knows which will move most to realign these. Rape prices also appear to be running about €30/t behind this time last year.

Soil testing

A valid soil test is needed for every 5ha farmed and results must be less than four years old to be valid. These rules apply in the event of a cross-compliance inspection for N and P use.

While there is often little incentive to build up fertility in conacre, any land you are farming must be adequately fed to have a chance of performing.

Lime is the key here. Nowadays there are more options for short-term liming which suit one-year rentals. These are products like granular limes or Growmax.

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