Tillage farmers ‘in despair’ as they face losses of up to €250/ac due to drought

TILLAGE farmers are facing an “impending disaster” due to the continuing drought, Teagasc has warned.

Dairy farms are also struggling in the savagely dry conditions. Slower grass growth in the midlands, east and southeast has forced many milk suppliers to buffer feed cows with baled silage and straights.

Michael Hennessy of Teagasc described the situation for cereal growers in Leinster and much of east Munster as “very serious”, with the absence of rain leaving many farmers “in despair”.

He said crops from Bunclody to Louth “had all but stopped growing”, and that it will be “lights out” for much of the spring and winter barley on the east coast if the region fails to get significant rainfall this week.

Although good spring barley crops are reported in Cork, south Wexford and Donegal where the drought has not been as severe Mr Hennessy estimated that 75pc of the area sown will be “moderate to very poor”.

He said spring barley crops are “prematurely heading out” and “unlikely to yield”. Winter barley crops on light soils were under real stress and beginning to go yellow, he added.

It may not be too late for wheat and oats crops in the worstaffected areas, but he said rain was urgently needed.

Although some rain fell along the east over the weekend and more is forecast for this week, growers maintained it has been too little too late for many crops.

Drummonds agronomist Brian Reilly claimed that the harm has already been done and that this week’s rain will only hold the yield. He predicted that spring barley yields could be as low as 1-2t/ac in some areas, with losses on owned land of €80-100/ac. Losses on rented ground could hit €200-250/ac, he said.

There was a massive switch from winter barley to spring barley this year as a result of the wet autumn weather and the disastrous sowing conditions.

Spring barley sowings increased from 95,000ha in 2019 to around 140,000ha for this year’s harvest, while the area of winter barley fell from 80,000ha to 45,000ha.

Some growers who ploughed up winter barley that had failed as a result of the poor sowing conditions and heavy winter rains are now facing the loss of a second crop on the same land as the spring barley that replaced the winter variety is withering from drought.

One Kildare cereal grower said there was a “feeling of panic” building among tillage farmers over the extent of the losses that the sector was potentially facing.

Straw output this year will also be slashed, due to a combination of the expected poor yields and the stunted growth of crops, and the switch from winter barley to spring barley.

The equivalent of six million 4x4 bales of straw are traditionally saved each harvest. However, Mr Hennessy predicted that this figure could be halved this year.

Feed sales

Meanwhile, feed merchants report increased sales of compound feed and straights as more milk suppliers are forced to buffer feed dairy herds as grass supplies tighten.

Tony Bell from Balbriggan in Dublin said sales of baled maize had increased six-fold over the last month, with farmers from right around the country ordering supplies.

Teagasc advisors said dairy farmers in the worst affected areas of the east and southeast were feeding up to 6kg/ cow/day of compound feed, in addition to baled silage at night and straights.

With soil moisture deficits approaching 80mm in some parts of the country, grass growth has all but stopped. Pasturebase put grass growth rates in Carlow, Kildare and Dublin this week at just 29-37kg/ha/day.