The Tillage Edge

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 diversify and improve sustainability. With profitability challenges in conventional tillage farming, Martin says the organic scheme is ideally suited to tillage farming where part of the farm can be converted to organic and continue to farm the remaining area as conventional.  For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com 

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 emphasises that controlling grass weeds through pre-emergence or early post-emergence is essential for effective management. Vijaya provides an update on ALS herbicide-resistant annual meadow grass detected across the country, noting that pre-emergence herbicides are effective on these resistant populations. For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com 

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 Management approach.  However, due to the challenges of correctly identifying aphids and determining whether they carry the virus, the recommended timings for aphid control this year remain similar to previous years. For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com 

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 outlook and what farmers should expect as we move forwards. James highlights the challenges of drought in Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as adverse weather conditions in South America. However, the underlying factor of abundant maize supplies is likely to keep pressure on the market. For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com