Tillage farmers on cusp of new era

TILLAGE farmers, after a prolonged period of uncertainty, are well-placed to make commercial decisions based on the realities of the marketplace, according to Teagasc.

Professor Jimmy Burke, Head of Teagasc Crops Research Centre, Oak Park, Carlow, said the sector has entered a new era with higher returns and new opportunities opening up at home and abroad for the grain and oilseed sector. He was announcing details of the Teagasc national tillage conference that Irish and British experts will address in the Dolmen Hotel, Carlow, next Wednesday. Latest data on production and marketing of cereals will also be featured.

This year’s conference follows a good production year in the tillage sector where crop yields and quality were very good despite real difficulties encountered during the growing season, especially at harvest time.