Two potentially high value but vulnerable and expensive crops to grow are coming out of fields at the moment – potatoes and maize.

The regional weather is evident in the report on p40. The industry view is that the potato yield will be back 15% to 20%.

The farmer goes to the same cost, effort and risk, but given the weather, the yield drops maybe 20%.

It’s part of the reason why we have fewer and fewer horticulture growers.

It is early in the maize harvest, but the weather didn’t help grass, so we don’t expect bumper maize yields. Without crop yield, maize is very expensive to grow in Irish conditions.

Sheep prices are better than expected

Sheep farmers are putting rams out at the moment, and it’s fair to say lamb and hogget prices this year have held up better than most would have anticipated this time last year.

Those that go to the effort of breeding ewes richly deserve any upside the sheep market delivers.

Those not breeding ewes or just running store lambs ride the higher wave, but are less integral to the sector.

Some real issues for the future of sheep remain – the cost inflation at farm level, the relatively low level of support in spite of an increase, and the labour associated with managing numbers.