Winter at last

The arrival of a few good hardy and frosty days are welcome for the tillage sector. Hopefully it will bring an end to the risk of new BYDV infection pressure for the very many crops that have only recently emerged.

At the ITLUS conference last week Louise McNamara of Teagasc indicated that aphids were still flying very late in the season and so there was possibly a degree of risk much later then we might normally expect to see it. Soil temperatures are now around or below normal for the time of year.

We are now effectively in the dormant season so there should be very little growth for a few weeks. Frost or very low temperatures might be regarded as a bonus now as such conditions slow or prevent the activity of slugs which are present in most fields. But lack of alternatives may result in increased activity of other pests such as rabbits.

Before we close down for Christmas take one more look around your crops. It is no harm to be aware of what might have survived your herbicide programme to help you be prepared for spring action. Be aware of what, if any, pests are causing damage.

Essential records

Now that field and even farmyard work is virtually at a halt, except for those of you involved in horticultural crops, it is essential to ensure that your 2017 records are up to date and accurate.

While field records are important, fertiliser and chemical records are essential for cross compliance. While many growers may not yet have been asked to supply these records for cross compliance, it is still essential to know that you must have them and that they must comply with allowances and recommendations.

Your fertiliser records must show your N and P allowance for every parcel calculated across your entire holding. This is influenced by relevant soil test results, the crops grown and either historic crop yield levels or stocking rate depending on the field use. The sum of all these N and P allowances give your maximum farm N and P usage.

The combined application of N and P artificial fertiliser from previous stock and from 2017 purchases (excluding any carryover into 2018), plus any nutrient supplied from organic sources, should not exceed your farm allowances. It is much better if this is done ahead of the season rather than at the end and if you have been doing this you can now prepare your 2018 fertiliser allowances.

Records must also be kept of all chemicals used. The use of products purchased and those coming from stock must be explained through parcel use records. So if you grew 124ha of a crop and purchased 125 litres of a product whose maximum rate was 1.0l/ha your records should show 124 litres used and one litre remaining in stock. A little bit of cross checking now could help avoid future trouble.

Some quick checks

Ensure that you have anti-freeze in water cooled engines and in your sprayer. Also, ensure that you have no loose sheets on sheds and check that swinging, sliding and roller doors are solidly attached and mounted.