This week we talk to growers from Laois, Wexford and Galway whose individual experiences of this year’s harvest perfectly demonstrate just how memorable it was.

Paul O’Connell

Ballybrittas, Co Laois

The weather settled from 22 August onwards in Ballybrittas, which paved the way for Paul to complete his winter wheat harvest with no real interruption. “They gave four days of good weather and said it would break afterwards, but it didn’t and we just kept on cutting,” explains Paul.

Paul cultivating winter wheat stubble with his 6m Lemken heliodor discs in good conditions.

He started his winter wheat harvest on 23 August, around 12 days later than normal. He was expecting the delay in harvesting to affect grain quality, but specific weights remained around the mid-70s.

His winter wheat crops averaged around 4.2t/ac, slightly below his expectations.

However, individual crop yields ranged anywhere from 3.6-4.2t/ac. This large variation in yield makes for interesting reading. One of his Costello crops yielded 3.6t/ac.

The only notable difference between this crop and the others was that there were a number of blank grain sites on the crop’s head.

This was seen in winter barley crops in parts of the country but there had been few reports of this in winter wheat.

One of his Bennington crops yielded 4.7t/ac. This was a second wheat after spring beans and the seed was dressed with Latitude.

The winter wheat crop in that particular field last year produced a below-average yield, on account of the drought.

Paul thinks that there was an amount of carryover nutrients in the soil from the 2017 bean crop which helped drive the yield in this year’s wheat crop.

His wheat harvest was completed by 28 August after a number of long harvest days. Moistures started around 22% but dropped to 15% by the time he was finished. All grain is dried down to 14.5% moisture content (mc) for storage.

While grain quality wasn’t significantly affected by the weather, straw yields were. His straw averaged around five 8x4x3 square bales back on average and had faded in colour by the time it was baled. All ground has now been stubble cultivated with his 6m Lemken heliodor discs.

Paul is considering introducing spring beans back into the rotation next year due to the beneficial impacts of break crops and cereal straw availability.

Vivion Tubritt

New Ross, Co Wexford

Ground has turned quite hard in Saltmills as a result of dry weather and some of Vivion’s potato and cover crops could do with moisture.

There has been little rainfall on his farm over the past month, allowing him to finish his harvest in excellent conditions.

It’s been a bumper year for spring barley. Vivion’s Laureate spring malting barley crops never really had any setback and every field performed well.

Vivion applying a second application of diquat onto his maincrop potatoes.

His crops were sown early in great conditions, escaped the worst effects of BYDV and missed the worst of the rain earlier in the year.

“We were very lucky with spring barley this year,” he remarks.

The crop averaged around 3.8t/ac at 19-20%mc. Proteins were low, ranging from 8.3-9.5%. Screenings came in at 1.2%-2% while specific weights averaged around 65KPH.

The bulk of his spring barley harvest was finished 10 days ago. He baled all of his spring barley straw with relative ease, which averaged five 8x4x3 bales/ac.

He was also happy with his winter wheat performance, which was finished two weeks ago. The crop looked somewhat thin all year but it still averaged 4.2t/ac at 19.5-20.5%mc.

The straw averaged around three 8x4x3 bales/ac and went for composting.

He sowed leafy turnip and forage rape (8kg/ha at a cost of €9/ac) in some of his wheat stubble which has got off to a strong start. His early sown cover crop mixes had established well, but growth is slow due to dry conditions.

His earlier planted potatoes were desiccated last Saturday. His two-stage burn-down strategy consisted of an initial application of Reglone (Diquat at 1.5l/ha) as well as an application of Ranman (0.5l/ha) to keep blight under control.

He applied a follow-up application a number of days later with Reglone (2l/ha). Tuber numbers are back but have bulked very well and skin finish is excellent.

The drills of these crops have now turned very hard, but there is still ample moisture around the tubers.

Chris Bourns

Eyrecourt, Co Galway

If the weather over the past month was settled in the west, it would have been an early spring harvest in Galway.

However, weather has done everything but play ball for farmers there.

Continual broken and wet conditions throughout August and September frustrated harvest efforts in the region and growers will be happy to see the end.

Chris's combine left some tracking in wet patches of his winter wheat fields.

But Chris explains that growers there have dealt with worse years, citing the harvest of 2016. Yields have been very good this year, however, which has made the harvest effort worthwhile.

Chris is down to his last 20ac of spring barley to harvest. Spring barley has been the most challenging crop to harvest for him, as much of it was either brackled or lodged. Harvesting is slow but manageable. Spring barley has so far yielded around 3t/ac, well above the farm average of 2.6t/ac.

Ground conditions had deteriorated significantly during the harvest, leading to tracking and sinking in some fields. However, Chris remarks on the speed at which soil has drained over the past week.

His winter wheat harvest was completed by the end of September after grabbing every weather window possible. A combine breakdown in the middle of the wheat harvest didn’t help with this, but thanks to Templetuohy Farm Machinery, who supplied a backup machine as well as repairing his own, Chris was able to make up for the time lost.

His winter wheat crops averaged around 4.6t/ac at 24% mc. He is currently drying this grain for storage. The crop stayed standing well despite the rain and most of the straw is now baled, averaging 11 4x4 round bales/ac.

Chris whole-cropped some of his spring wheat and harvested the rest. The Quintus crop yielded between 2.2-3.2t/ac. He notes that the grain shrivelled quite an amount as it ripened.

Chris lifted some of his sugar beet two weeks ago upon request from a regular customer. The crop yielded 15t/ac. September will be a big month for beet bulking, he remarks. He’s also aiming to get his GLAS catch crops planted this week.

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