Harvest: Harvest is continuing across the country with a nice amount of winter oilseed rape and winter wheat now cut. However, the majority of winter wheat is yet to be cut and some trying crops this week, pulled out of fields due to high moisture contents.

The spring barley harvest is also underway in some parts for early-sown crops and many more crops are likely to be cut over the weekend and the beginning of next week.

Crops are coming in very quickly. The cooler temperatures this week might help to slow things down.

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Glyphosate: Glyphosate cannot be applied to any crops pre-harvest. It used to be the case that it could not be applied to food crops like oats for porridge or malting barley, but now it is not allowed pre-harvest on any crops.

However, it can be applied where there is a bad grass weed problem. Where it is used to control grass weeds then the crop cannot go into the human food-chain. Tests for glyphosate on grain are extremely accurate and can detect only traces of the chemical so do not risk cross contamination by spraying headlands or leaving a small amount in a trailer.

Straw: The Minister has announced that all applicants who chop and incorporate straw under the Straw Incorporation Measure will be paid. You should receive a notice in the coming days.

Catch crops: Catch crops being planted ahead of winter crops for the Farming for Water Programme have a planting deadline of 1 August. We contacted the project co-ordinators this week to see if this deadline would be extended in the drier weather, but it will not - see the opposite page.

Catch crops or forage crops will not grow in current conditions and all that will happen is machinery will wear, more diesel will be burned and soil will be eroded, so wait until rain comes to make land more workable to plant. Soil moisture deficits were up to 86mm in some of the main tillage growing regions of the country this week.

Beans: Beans are fading in the heat in many cases. It’s gone by the time for applying a second fungicide really, but if you are still thinking about it, it would be questionable in current conditions.

Beet: Beet crops benefit from fungicide. Temperatures have cooled for applying too, but if you are, make sure you apply at a cool time of the day. Angle is one option. Syngenta says two applications of Angle at 1l/ha resulted in a yield increase of 15.5t/ha over untreated crops over three years of trials in Carlow and Cork. This year Revystar, which is used on cereal crops, has received a label for beet and is a new option for farmers.

Grass weeds: Continue to look out for grass weeds. It is essential that you map weeds and control them. Prevent spreading in combines and balers by cleaning machinery.