Tom Barry, a tillage farmer from North Cork, who has recently been recognised with multiple environmental awards, joins The Tillage Edge for a two-part series sharing how he's implementing sustainable farming practices from using organic manures and reducing fertiliser use to enhancing biodiversity. Plus he discusses the impact of these actions on …

A year ago, many farmers faced significant challenges due to the unusually wet weather, which disrupted their crop rotations. For this week’s Tillage Edge, John Pettit, a Teagasc tillage advisor from South Wexford, shares his insights into how farmers are adapting their crop rotations to suit both their land and the local markets. John explains tha…

Winter oilseed rape has grown strongly over the past month but these conditions are also good for foliar disease development. Dr Stephen Kildea joins the Tillage Edge this week to talk about disease levels in oilseed rape and if control is necessary. He encourages all growers to walk their fields to look for Phoma and Light Leaf Spot (LLS) and reco…

Organic farming is gaining attention as a viable option for tillage farmers, especially with the demand for organic feed in livestock production on the rise. Martin Burke, an organic specialist from Teagasc, joins the Tillage Edge podcast to discuss how the recently opened Organic Scheme could offer new opportunities for farmers looking to diversif…

Over recent weeks, most farmers have had the opportunity to plant winter crops, with many crops well emerged. Ciaran Collins, a tillage specialist, and Vijaya Bhaskar, a weed researcher from Teagasc, join the Tillage Edge podcast this week to discuss the best options for effective pre and post emergence weed control in winter cereals. Ciaran emphas…

With many crops just starting to emerge, it's time to think about protecting them from BYDV, or Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus. Dr. Louise McNamara, an entomologist from Teagasc, joins this week’s Tillage Edge to discuss the best strategies for controlling BYDV in winter cereals. Louise emphasises that monitoring for aphids is key to any Integrated Pest…

With harvest complete, farmers now have a clear understanding of the grain they have available for sale. While many have already sold their grain in forward market positions, others are considering deferring sales for several weeks or months. James Nolan, a grain trader at Barnett-Hall, is on this week’s Tillage Edge to discuss the current market o…

The Department of Agriculture now has a full view of all nutrients imported onto tillage farms and this week on the Tillage Edge, Pat Murphy, Head of Environmental Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc, goes through what this means for farmers. Pat explains that all chemical fertilisers bought and organic manures imported onto a farm are reported to the De…

Weed control in winter cereals is essential to protect yields and to prevent weed seed return and on this week’s Tillage Edge, Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, Tillage Specialists at Teagasc, chat through the reasons to prioritise pre-emerge herbicide applications in winter wheat and winter barley. Shay says there is some flexibility in the pre-emer…

As planting season begins, the choice of crop varieties will shape the management practices for the year ahead. Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, Tillage Specialists at Teagasc, are on this week’s Tillage Edge to discuss the key factors in selecting varieties and why certain ones may be more suitable. Ciaran advises that for larger acreages, a mix of…

This week on The Tillage Edge podcast, we’re circling back to the National Tillage Conference from earlier this year and focusing on the trade-offs of establishment systems with Jack Jameson, as well as the growing problem of weeds, particularly poppies, with Charlotte Morgan. For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to: h…

Correctly structured healthy soils will deliver better returns for farmers and on this week’s Tillage Edge, Dr Veronica Nyhan, a soil and plant nutrition specialist in Teagasc, joins the podcast to discuss why it is necessary to carry out regular soil assessments and how the results can be used to correct any deficits. Veronica explains that a test…

There is a good proportion of the harvest completed and this week on The Tillage Edge podcast, Teagasc Tillage Advisors, Ciara O’Donovan, Conor O’Callaghan and John Pettit report on the yields in their areas to date with all three reporting good yields from spring barley along with reasonable straw yields. There was agreement that winter cereal and…

Tim Bergin, a Dublin man farming in Poland, and Andy Mahon, a Dubliner who manages a farm in the UK, join the Tillage Edge this week to chat about their respective harvests with contrasting reports of a very difficult year in the UK and a year full of promise from Poland. In Poland, Tim explains that yields were reasonably good and harvest was stra…

Cover crops have many benefits for a farmer and also for the wider landscape and this week, Dr Richie Hackett, Teagasc Crops Researcher in Oak Park, joins the Tillage Edge podcast to delve into the benefits and pitfalls when growing cover crops. Richie cautions farmers about using the same cover crop mixes in rotation with similar plant species and…

The ideal time to plant oilseed rape is in the next couple of weeks and so Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, join the Tillage Edge this week to chat about the variety choice and best practice for good establishment. Oilseed rape comes with a lot of in-built genetic technology which Shay says will help to achieve high y…

The Teagasc crops research farm in Oak Park, Carlow, is in the middle of the harvest and Brendan Burke, the farm manager, joins the Tillage Edge this week to chat about the highs and lows of the harvest so far. Brendan explains that the winter barley and winter oats yields have been reasonable so far. The farm also sells straw to regular customers …

Tillage farming has reasonably good environmental credentials but there is always room for improvement and Noel Meehan, ASSAP Manager, joins us on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to talk about the funding which is available to tillage farmers as part of the Water EIP project. Noel says the project is targeting specific areas around the country, an…

Farmers, James O’Reilly, from Kilkenny, and James Hegarty, from Cork, join this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat about the harvest so far. James O’Reilly says that winter barley yields were mixed and the average is likely to be lower than other years, while James Hegarty admits his yields are also mixed but he is happy with grain quality. Both f…

Not all crop varieties which could be available to Irish farmers are suitable to be grown in Ireland and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Tim O'Donovan, Technical Director at Seedtech, chats through the varieties which are available and why these are suitable to Irish conditions. Tim explains the value of trialling these varieties in Irish cond…

Organic tillage farming may seem out of reach to most conventional tillage farmers, however Gavin Tully, an organic tillage farmer in Wexford, is on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to explain how he has successfully negotiated some of the problems associated with the organic system. Gavin explains that he is a fan of cereal and protein mixes as it…

John Dunne, Arable Trials and Agronomy Manager at Goldcrop, joined the Tillage Edge podcast this week to chat about the varieties coming through the system. John first discusses the array of existing and new varieties that were on display at the Goldcrop Open day in Cork. He outlines the disease pressure in all cereals but is particularly happy tha…

The wet and cold spring in Ireland was mirrored in the US according to Brian Caldbeck, a Laois man, who is farming and running a seeds business in Kentucky, USA, and joins Michael on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast. Brian says the late planting into poor seedbed conditions will result in small roots which leave crops more exposed to drought and he…

Despite reports of poor weather in parts of Europe, Tim Bergin, a Dubliner who is farming in Poland and is on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, says his crops are excellent and he is hopeful for a good harvest. However, Tim does outline the very poor conditions experienced over the autumn last year and the lengths needed to harvest potatoes on his …

As we move towards the end of the growing season, some final actions are necessary on spring crops. Ciaran Collins, a Tillage Specialist in Teagasc, and Eoin Lyons, a Tillage advisor in Teagasc, join this week's Tillage Edge podcast to discuss the critical agronomy actions needed over the next couple of weeks. On the show, Eoin explains how reduced…

Kilkenny farmer Kevin O’Donnell joins Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to explain how he is getting the best from organic manures on his tillage operation. Kevin has been using manures for a number of years and is in the process of constructing a large over-ground slurry store. Before importing slurries, Kevin’s advisor produced…

Minister of State, Martin Heydon, TD joins this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to talk about the recently published Food Vision 2030 Tillage Report which sets out 28 recommendations to develop the tillage sector. Minister Heydon says the tillage sector is integral to the fabric of Irish agriculture and is a necessary part for all other areas to work w…

Grass weeds can be a serious risk to tillage farmers, and unlike the weather or international markets, grass weed prevention and eradication is something that is in the farmer’s control. Teagasc advisor, John Mahon, and Vijaya Bhaskar, Teagasc weed researcher, are on this week's Tillage Edge podcast to discuss grass weeds and how important it is to…

Spring crops will develop quickly in the shorter season and timing of the necessary inputs will be difficult. Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Tillage Specialists, join this week’s Tillage Edge to talk about sequencing the critical inputs to crops. Shay says growers should be cautious about nitrogen rates to ensure malting barley quality is …

BYDV levels are high and it can have a significant negative yield impact in both winter and spring crops. Dr Louise McNamara joins The Tillage Edge this week to chat about the current BYDV levels in winter crops and how to minimise BYDV in spring crops. Louise says it is too late to control aphids in winter crops but almost all spring crops are at …

Contractors play a vital role in the tillage industry and this week on The Tillage Edge podcast, Michael Hennessy chats to two contractors, Patrick Nolan, who is working close to Athy, Co Kildare and Padraig Noonan, close to Conna in Cork. Both men outline the pressures to completing work during the past 10 days with Padraig saying they have comple…

Life Scientific, is an Irish company researching, developing and manufacturing off-patent plant protection products for the global market. For this week’s Tillage Edge, Michael Hennessy was joined by Ruth Stanley, the Ireland and UK country manager, to tell us a bit more about the company, and by Scott Lovell, from Croplink, who distribute some of …

Teagasc Tillage Specialists, Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, joined Michael Hennessy on the latest Tillage Edge podcast to talk about winter crop management over the next couple of weeks. First, Ciaran touched on the complexity of applying multiple products to crops which have not received any treatment yet. He says that winter barley which is due …

The continuing poor weather is forcing many farmers to change their cropping decisions and on this week’s Tillage Edge, Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, discuss the benefits and risks of making cropping changes. Shay explains that the choice between planting seed which cannot be returned and leaving it in the she…

Jim McCarthy joins the Tillage Edge again this week with the latest on managing the 16,000 hectare farm in Romania and to share some insights on the global grain trade. Jim discusses the agronomy of growing crops in Romania and how the farm is growing most of their crops using less nitrogen but with an increased use of digital farming methods. Jim …

Buffer zones are important to protect waterbodies and Hugh Rooney, a Teagasc ASSAP advisor, joins this week’s Tillage Edge to talk about how buffer zones are necessary and what benefits these areas can bring. Hugh explains that protecting waterbodies from nitrates, phosphates, sediment, pesticides and organic matter are all crucial to help the heal…

Sean Kelly, who is a Member of the European Parliament for Ireland South, joined the Tillage Edge this week to chat about how EU policy is put in place and the influence farmers can have when these policies are being devised. Firstly, Sean welcomed the move by the EU to reduce red tape and is keen to follow this through to implementation. He said f…

A recent Signpost farm event on the Kepak farm in Dunboyne, Co Meath focused on the use of slurry on their tillage farm. Sam Myles, the farm manager, Veronica Nyhan, a soil nutrition specialist, and John Mahon, Signpost Farm advisor, all joined Michael Hennessy on the Tillage Edge to discuss utilising slurry on a tillage farm. Sam Myles explains th…

The Teagasc Crops Team have launched the Crop Report Platform which is a comprehensive information hub for the agronomy of crops in Ireland. Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc joined this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat through the main features of the platform. “Users can get access to information quickly throu…

Despite the cold weather, oilseed rape is actively growing. Management decisions are needed on most crops in the coming days and weeks and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, John Spink, the Head of Crops, Environment and Land Use (CELUP) in Teagasc, discusses the tools and management which should be used by all farmers growing oilseed rape to ens…

Many farmers are contemplating if their winter crops have enough plants to give a viable return and at the same time, are anxious to start the management of good crops on the farm. On this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Shay Phelan and Ciaran Collins, who are both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, chat through the factors that should be considered befo…

The National Tillage Conference which took place in late January this year, covered a range of topics around research and the future direction of tillage. On this episode of the Tillage Edge, you’ll hear from John Spink, Head of Crops Environment and Land Use in Teagasc, who spoke at the conference on how to calculate carbon use or Green House Gass…

Teagasc are running a series of Winter Crop walks across the country from February 13-16th and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Shay Phelan, a Tillage Specialist in Teagasc, chats about what to expect at the walks. As many crops are patchy or have poor establishment, Shay says farmers need to be more proactive in their own crops rather than lea…

The fertiliser supply chain and costs have been very volatile over the past couple of years and on the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Liam Dunphy, the Managing Director of Gouldings, and Peter Scott, Technical Director of The Fertiliser Division in Origin Enterprises Ireland/UK, join Michael Hennessy to talk about the fertiliser market and also Polys…

Fertiliser is one of the largest variable costs every year on tillage farms and on the latest Tillage Edge podcast, Dr Veronica Nyhan, a tillage advisor in Teagasc, chats through the benefits of planning the correct nutrients for each crop in 2024. Veronica explains that the basis of a nutrient management plan are soil samples which are up to date.…

The Teagasc National Tillage Conference takes place on January 31st in the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Dr Ewen Mullins, Head of Crops Research, Oak Park, Carlow, joins us to talk about the exciting line up and the change of format for the conference this year. Ewen explains the change to the conference format is …

This week's episode is a repost of an episode from January 2023 with Professor Mike McLaughlin, originally from county Antrim, who is a Research Professor with the University of Adelaide, Australia and is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow with Teagasc. Soils are the most important resource the human race has. Without a productive soil there wouldn’…

Having an optimistic view is one of the cornerstones for all farmers, and although undoubtedly there will be challenges in 2024, there are plenty of areas that tillage farmers can still be positive about. Farmers are playing catch-up in terms of planted area on most farms which may present some difficulties in the early part of the season, but if t…

Grass weeds are a problem on almost all farms in Ireland and the scale of the increase and the measures necessary to control them is less well known. Black grass is in every county in the country and while it can be relatively easy to keep it out, it takes vigilance. To get a better insight into the topic, this week’s Tillage Edge podcast features …

As the end of the year approaches, most tillage farmers will want to forget 2023. Unfortunately it will be remembered as a year of weather extremes and the resulting difficulties. But it is beneficial to look back on how we dealt with the year and if we would have made any decisions differently. To look back on the tillage year that was, Teagasc Ti…