Promising autumn eases the strain of a challenging year

Farmers up and down the country were relieved to park up the combine after a long drawn-out harvest. It has been a challenging year, largely due to the wet spring. However, the yields of some spring crops and the recent dry weather to establish winter cereals have led to a satisfying end of the growing season.

This week, we conclude the From the Tramlines programme for 2024 by asking the farmers to reflect on the year and to tell us their highs and lows of the past twelve months.

Barty says that 2024 has been a difficult year. It was the first time ever that Barty did not sow spring barley in March, with the wet spring delaying planting.

It also created issues with how much nitrogen to apply to spring malting barley, and Barty thinks that he should have applied more on reflection, but no one could have predicted the weather that would follow.

Looking ahead to 2025, Barty doesn’t see too much changing on his farm, and he thinks that there will be no machinery purchases this year.

High: There were two main highs for Barty this year, all of the spring barley passed for malting, and the winter barley has been planted in great conditions, something which has not been said for a number of years.

Low: The late spring planting was a major low for Barty. His winter barley was also a disaster; it suffered from barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) and there was poor weather during grain fill.

This year did not turn out as badly as feared for Pa given the poor springtime. Grain yields were acceptable and the spring crops did a lot better than was expected at the time of sowing. However, Pa says that the grain price was not as high as was hoped, which dampened the mood when reflecting on the year.

High: There was a good price for straw this year which really helped the profitability of some crops that needed that extra boost. The spring barley yield and quality was also a highlight for Pa, with all loads passing for malting.

Low: The wet autumn of 2023 combined with the wet spring earlier this year made it difficult for Pa. He didn’t get as many winter crops planted as he would have liked, which put even more pressure on him in the springtime once the weather did come right in order to get everything planted.

It has been a disappointing year for Alex. While the weather has not been as bad as last year, yields were poor and there was always pressure to get jobs done. With good conditions for planting recently, Alex hopes to be set up for a better 2025 with a good crop rotation and crops in a healthy condition.

He still thinks grain prices need to rise by €20/t. Alex expects to push further into organics next year, as it was the only part of his business to leave a good margin this year.

High: Alex says there were no real highs, but planting winter cereals in ideal conditions was exactly what was needed after a tough year, and should set him up for a good start to 2025.

Low: The late spring which led to late drilling in poor conditions was the lowest point of the year for Alex. He says he has never seen such poor conditions for so long in the spring time.

It was a very wet year for Neill, but this actually suits his dry land in east Down. He can cope better with a wet year than a dry one. This meant he had good yields, with cool weather also meaning there was no stress on crops.

There was more disease in crops this year but Neill managed to stay on top of it with a good husbandry programme. Neill has not sold any grain yet but he is happy to see the price rise slightly recently. He also saw this year how organisation and maintenance are vital. He had things in good order and this led to no stoppages in the short-weather windows.

High: The good yields that Neill achieved in a challenging year were pleasing.

Low: The broken weather at harvest meant that it was a long and drawn-out process, but there was not much that could be done about it.

It was a difficult year in Galway, and unlike most of the country, it proved to Conall that winter crops are still the best choice for his farm.

The BYDV-tolerant winter barley varieties also showed their capability and performed well. Looking back at the spring crops, Conall says that he now thinks that spring beans are the best choice on his farm in the springtime if the crop rotation allows.

Conall is hoping to get work completed in a more timely manner next year with the purchase of a new plough and sprayer helping to speed up his operation.

High: Harvesting the beans, baling the straw, clearing the fields, and then sowing winter barley within a week of harvest was very satisfying for Conall, with great weather helping to ensure the land was not idle for long.

Low: Standing in 3ft deep tramlines in the springtime was the low point for Conall when it was thought that the year would be a write-off.

It was a tough start to the growing year for Tom as the wet autumn meant that a lot of crops were not planted, with the following wet spring putting on even more pressure once the rain finally stopped falling.

However, he says that it would have been worse if there had been a very dry summer after the wet spring.

He was happy with the yield of spring crops, especially following the root crops. This will not change his plans for the coming years, with workload to be taken into consideration when making a cropping plan

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High: The salad potatoes performed well this year, helped by the fact they are usually planted later and harvested earlier.

Low: The cereal prices were disheartening this year. Tom says it would make you question their viability going forward. He says he may have to look at high-value contracts, but if everyone is looking for them, their value will decrease too.

Looking back on the year, Alistair says it could have been worse following a dreadful backend in 2023. In contrast, this backend has been a godsend and it has Alistair looking forward with hope for a better return next year.

Alistair sees himself going further down the rabbit hole of regenerative agriculture in the future. He has started brewing his own lactic acid bacteria and beneficial anaerobic microbes and is hoping to reduce his inputs while retaining yields at a high level.

He also hopes to use leaf tissue sampling so that he can use fertilisers and trace elements in a more precise manner

High: Alistair enjoyed growing his crops with his own machinery and doing things differently. He is very happy to have found a group of like-minded people who he can learn from in BASE Ireland.

Low: There were disappointing yields across the board this year in Derry, with a lack of sunshine being the main culprit.

One of the main lessons Pádraig is taking from this year is to not plant beans in April. He is happy that the grain price has crept up recently and it is a nice bonus that he was not expecting.

The straw prices were the story of the year, and are helping crops to remain profitable where yields were poor. The acreage of premium crops is being increased again next year to two-thirds of the farm. With the crop rotation back on track, and all winter crops planted, Pádraig is looking forward to a fresh start and the year ahead.

High: One of the highlights of the year was finishing the harvest after three and a half months. The spring oats were also impressive, with good yield, lots of straw, and great grain quality. Pádraig expects it to be his most profitable crop this year.

Low: Looking out at the beans every day and wondering if they would ever be cut was stressful for Pádraig.

Tony is happy to come through another year mentally stronger and healthier after a tough couple of years. He says his strip-till system has proven itself in a challenging year, and his precise use of phosphate at planting has contributed to this.

He now knows how to create an excellent seedbed in the system and is constantly striving to make it more efficient. The early maturing varieties of maize have proved themselves, especially with the late planting.

He is looking forward to continually aiming at doing less work to get the same result in the year ahead.

High: Tony was nervous about sowing spring wheat late, but it ended up being the highlight of the year, with a good yield from low inputs leaving an excellent margin.

Low: The spring beans struggled this year. Bean rust, drought conditions, a low yield, and a late harvest made sure that this year was Tony’s worst year for beans in over 20 years of growing them.

The decision to not plant winter barley in wet conditions last year worked out well for Sam as the spring barley and maize performed well. He says the main lesson is to work with what your farm is capable of and to remain patient when the pressure is on.

With the low price of grain, Sam is looking to grow crops that can be utilised within the farm gate next year. He has planted triticale, some of which will be cut for silage in April before planting maize, while the remainder will be whole cropped in July. Sam would like to thank all those who have helped in any way on the farm throughout the year.

High: The good ground conditions this autumn have allowed Sam to harvest his maize and plant winter cereals.

Low: The late, wet spring led to a buildup of work on the farm. The tramlines were deep and it looked like the rain would never stop.

The Irish Farmers Journal would like to thank the farmers for their time and insights into their farming operations over the past 34 weeks. If anyone is interested in participating in this programme next year, please contact swalsh@farmersjournal.ie.