Seasonal conditions: The dry weather was great but it was never going to last forever so it is better to be getting the rain behind us now rather than dreading when it might fall in the coming months.

Met Éireann figures show that there has been quite a bit of rain in the main tillage areas over the past week, with more to come.

However, strong backend growth may have given us a deeper root system than normal for the time of year.

Deeper roots and the dry backend may also mean higher than normal soil nutrient availability this spring.

The softer growth means that mildew is widespread in many cereal crops and this will need to be monitored when spring growth accelerates.

Fertiliser: This broken weather is the classical reason why one should not spread too much N too early due to the risk of leaching and run-off. That said, we will be trying to get compound fertiliser out on to winter crops within the next month or so.

The choice of product should be driven by soil fertility, the need for sulphur and compounds that may offer value.

It is important to get some form of fertiliser on by the start of active growth but it is also important to make best use of it.

Rape and barley will be the priorities when safe spreading opportunities arise. With barley, it may be best not to let crops go too yellow and forward crops will be most prone.

Crops that are very forward currently will normally get pulled back as the season progresses and they may need very little N if they are already well tillered.

For barley, this may mean 30-50kg N/ha depending on the crop, how forward it is and when you can travel.

A smaller dressing of 25-30kg N/ha might be considered on wheat or oat crops.

Rape should be driven by canopy size – targeting a green area index of 3.5 at the start of stem extension.

As many crops are already well structured, most crops will need between zero and 90kg N/ha to drive growth. Excess canopy will usually drive a yield decrease.

P and K application should be driven by crop / field requirement, with more scope to reduce somewhat where fertility is better.

Apply some P and K on all but Index 4 soils and try to keep Index 1/2 soils at 80% plus of recommended rates.

Planting: While there is unlikely to be any planting done in the coming week, keep a close eye on crops that are already planted in case crows or pests are active.

Beans will be the main priority for planting when conditions allow.

Aim to establish around 30 plants/m2. Seed rate will then depend on likely establishment, germination etc and seed size. Targeting 30 seeds/m2 at 80% establishment would require 176kg/ha at 460g/1,000 seeds, 191kg with 500g seed, 210kg with 550g and 230kg with 600g seed.

Beans need high soil pH and they prefer heavier ground. Seeds need to be put down 10cm or more to help prevent crow damage.