The last week saw a huge amount of work completed in tillage fields. After a long wait, an unbelievable amount of ground was covered in a short space of time. Speaking with agronomists this week, the majority of cereals are in the ground.

However, on wetter land some farmers are only getting going, so while a majority might be planted across the country this is not the case on individual farms.

In the midlands 80-85% of cereals and beans are estimated to be planted. Down south 90% is reported to be in the ground, with 95% of beans planted, while in the northeast 70% of ground is reported to be drilled, with wetter land being tackled now.

There has also been good progress with maize and beet planting, with 75% of beet estimated to be in the ground in parts of Cork and 50% of maize is in.

Reports suggest the area of cereals is down in parts of the country, while dairy farmers are reported to be planting forage crops. However, it is not clear if these forage crops will result in an increase in the forage crop area. Potato farmers remain under pressure and showery weather is forecast into next week.