As the weather continues to hold fine, the end of the month could provide an optimum time for planting beans.

Be prepared and get seed, fertiliser and post-emergence herbicide into the yard.

Thousand grain weights are high, with Lynx coming in at around 533g. At this level, you will need a seed rate of about 220kg/ha or 14 stone/acre.

To calculate your seed rate, you will need the thousand grain weight of the seed, which should be on the bag, the target plant count and the expected establishment percentage.

  • Thousand grain weight = 533g.
  • Target plant population = 35 plants/m2.
  • Expected establishment = 85%.
  • Seed rate calculation: (35 X 533)/85 = 220kg/ha.

    • Remember to plant beans 4in deep to make it difficult for the crows to have a feast.

    Beans payment and price

    Remember, the protein payment is likely to be well over €500/ha this year and, last week, Dairygold came out with a minimum contract price of €285/t for beans. They are definitely worth a try on some area of land.

    Order spring cereal seed

    You can also calculate your seed rate for other crops.

    Spring cereal seed is widely available and it might be no harm to have it to hand.

    Yes, the weather could all change very quickly, but after a difficult sowing season for winter crops, there will be demand for spring seed, spring barley in particular, and you need to move early to get your preferred variety.