Ronan Snow

Swords, Co Dublin

“Yields were good, prices were down and straw was difficult to move,” says Ronan when recalling 2019.

Winter crops entered spring in fantastic condition after a good autumn and gentle winter. When the weather broke in March, this delayed spring cereal sowing as well as potato planting.

Yellow rust made an appearance in Ronan Snow's winter wheat last June.

However, this had little impact on their performance, according to Ronan. The wet August presented perfect conditions for blight and his spraying interval was reduced to seven days.

He recalls how his grain harvest got off to a good start, but quickly became a challenge. Sprouting in winter wheat also became a concern.

His potato harvest was staggered and he had to jump in at every opportunity he could. He now has just 8ac of potatoes left to harvest.

Ronan managed to sow 140 acres of winter wheat and barley this autumn but questions if they will make it to spring.

High: Ronan was happy how his cereals yielded this year.

Low: The weather in August and September was a low point and led to pressure and stress during the harvest.

David Moody

St Johnston, Co Donegal

“The year started off well but 2019 will be remembered as a battle,” says David.

Most of his spring sowing and winter crop husbandry work was completed on time and at the right stages, due to the weather.

This made a big difference to crop performance, he says. The broken weather at the end of May saw conditions deteriorate significantly. David thinks this wet spell set some spring crops back.

David Moody making the most of a break in the weather for sowing in October.

June and July were manageable for field work and his winter barley harvest went smoothly.

The weather broke in August and this marked the end of dry weather on David’s farm for the rest of the year. The rest of the harvest proved a struggle.

Autumn showed little respite and completing timely field operations was a battle. While he has all of his planned area sown, some of it was sown in less than ideal conditions.

High: David was very happy with how his spring barley crops yielded this year, averaging around 3.8t/ac.

Low: August and September were difficult months due to poor weather.

Rob Coleman

Castlemagner, Co Cork

Robs recalls how crops entered 2019 in excellent condition due to a great autumn and a soft winter.

While the weather was wet for much of February and March, all spring crops were sown in good conditions.

The damage was done in May, according to Rob. Cold and frosty nights had an impact on spring beans and Cellule winter wheat in particular, which affected yields.

Rob Coleman drilling spring beans into a standing cover crop in April.

Good weather in June was soon superseded by a pattern of broken weather which made his harvest very difficult. “This took the satisfaction out of the job, it was very stop and start,” Rob says.

This pattern continued into the autumn and Rob had to seize any opportunity he could to sow winter crops. “When we had to sow in marginal conditions, it was better doing it early,” he explains.

High: A high point for Rob this year was when UK biological farmer Tim Parton visited his farm for a workshop.

Low: Having to chop a lot of lying winter barley straw due to poor weather was a tough decision to make for Rob.

Andrew Bergin

Athy, Co Kildare

“This year wasn’t a perfect one but it was certainly a better year than 2018,”says Andrew, who recalls the damage done to crops by last year’s drought.

“Everything didn’t go right this year. Winter barley was poor and peas weren’t great, but quality and yields on my spring oats, spring barley and winter wheat were good,” he remarks.

Andrew Bergin drilling spring malting barley in April.

May was a cold month on his farm and he suspects light ground frosts were part of the cause of his poor winter barley performance.

Andrew was lucky with the harvest and managed to harvest all of his crops in good conditions.

Andrews’s winter oilseed rape was slow to develop.

Patience paid off for him in autumn and he managed to sow all of his winter cereals in two days when conditions were right.

High: Andrew was happy to see steady improvements in soil health this year as a result of his conversion to a biological farming system.

Lows The poor performance of his winter barley was a low point for him. The crop averaged 2.8t/ac, which he wasn’t expecting.

Mark McCurdy

Bushmills, Co Antrim

January and February were two very good months in Antrim, recalls Mark. Winter crops were developing well and ground conditions were excellent.

Groundwork came to a standstill until mid-April when conditions improved, but temperatures remained low. Freshly planted main-crop potatoes and spring cereals sown in April got off to a slow start.

Mark McCurdy putting his new Grimme self-propelled harvester to the test back in October.

Much of May remained dry but temperatures were slow to increase. This did crops no harm, Mark says.

Blight pressure increased in August due to the onset of prolonged wet conditions. The harvest proved difficult, as did baling straw. Yields were very good, however.

Mark McCurdy finishing planning back in May.

The main-crop potato harvest kicked into gear by October and after a difficult start, Mark got a reasonable run at the digging. He has managed to finish all of his potato harvest and winter planting.

High: A high point for Mark was working with his new self-propelled potato harvester in challenging conditions.

Low: August and September were particularly difficult due to high rainfall.

James O’Reilly

Ballyragget, Co Kilkenny

The 2019 cropping year has been an ideal one in Ballyragget, says James: “There was essentially no winter this year.”

Disease pressure in wheat was high in April but a dry cold May helped rectify that. “May was a natural growth regulator, crops were forward so the weather pulled them back,” he says.

James O’Reilly finding the wet spots back in October.

Moderate temperatures during summer meant his crops enjoyed a long grain filling period, which contributed to good yields.

The harvest was tricky, however, and average moistures were high. Joining forces with farmer Jimmy Smith from Portarlington, James had three combines on the go for much of the harvest, increasing efficiency.

Autumn sowing was difficult and any crops sown after October 21 are now under pressure, with the exception of winter oats.

Any crops sown early, even in less than ideal conditions are now well established. “If you’re going to muck crops in, muck them in early” James jokes.

High: Harvesting wheat at between 4.5-5.3t/ac was a high point for James.

Low: The relentless wet weather during autumn was the low point for him this year.

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