The winter oilseed rape (OSR) and barley harvest is almost completed across most of Northern Ireland, according to Christopher Gill, chair of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) seeds and cereals committee.
“Yields have been a bit of a mixed bag. Rape is averaging 1.6t to 1.7t/ac, with farmers in the north-west securing yields in the region of 1.4t,” he told Agriland.
“In a good year, growers would be expecting oilseed rape crops to be coming in at 2.2t/ac. We finished our own rape harvest earlier this week. All the seed produced is sold to local mills.”
Gill is the farm manager at Caledon Estate in Co. Tyrone.
“Winter barley yields are averaging 3.4t/ac. But, again, there has been a wide variation in crop performance this year,” he added.
The UFU representative attributes the relatively poor performance of winter barley crops to the challenging weather and ground conditions when planted-out last back end.
He continued: “The wet winter that followed didn’t help matters either.
“There was a lot of Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus pressure on both wheat and barley crops this year. It’s a real yield robber.
“All the wheat grown on the estate is whole cropped and then included as part of the feed stock used to drive an anaerobic digestion plant.
“But it was obvious as we ensiled the crop that a lot of the wheat had been affected by Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus.”
Looking ahead, Gill confirmed that winter wheat will be combined in Northern Ireland over the coming days. Moisture levels in many crops have fallen to 19%.
Barley harvest
“Some spring cereal crops have started to lodge, following last week’s heavy rains. But, hopefully the yield reductions will be maintained at reasonable levels,” he continued.
“Both spring barley and oat crops are looking well at the present time.
“Yes, they were planted late in many cases. But crops were not impacted by drought at all this year. This should hold them in good stead when it comes to the final harvest,” he outlined.
The union representative is also conscious that cereal markets are far from spectacular at the present time.
“Current grain prices do not reward farmers for growing crops that spend between nine and 10 months in the ground under extremely wet conditions,” he said.
“Nor is the market recognising the challenges posed by the mixed weather at harvest and the fact that 2024 cereal yields will be moderate at best,” he added.
Meanwhile, the UFU said it continues to campaign for bespoke support measures on behalf of Northern Ireland’s arable sector.
“The fact that arable farmers are delivering so much biodiversity in the countryside, given the wide range of crops that they grow, should be officially recognised by the Northern Ireland Executive,” Gill said.
