Tillage farmers face income drop of 50%

MANY tillage farmers could see their incomes fall by 50% this year, Teagasc predicted yesterday.

In its first grain harvest report of 2002, Teagasc confirmed that yields of cereal crops are down following the wet weather in recent months.

With 95% of the barley crop harvested and over 75% of the winter wheat harvest in, the report confirms the impact of the bad weather in late May, June and July.

Yields of the main crops are down by 1.25 tonnes per hectare (0.5 tonnes/acre). Spring barley yields are averaging 5.5 tonnes/hectare (2.2 tonnes/acre), down by 1.5 tonnes/hectare (0.6 tonnes/acre) on 2001 their lowest level since 1998.

Winter wheat, which doubled in acreage this year, has dropped by 1.25 tonnes/hectare (0.5 tonnes/acre).

Average yields so far this harvest are 8.75 tonnes/hectare (3.5 tonnes/acre), which are also the lowest since 1998.

There is some respite for growers of some of the smaller acreage crops.

Both winter and spring oats have returned yields similar to last year. But yields of winter barley are down by around 1.25 tonnes/hectare (0.5 tonnes/acre).

According to Jim O'Mahony, chief tillage adviser with Teagasc, the drop in yields is a direct result of difficult growing conditions and very high disease pressures.

"In 2000 and 2001, Irish spring barley and winter wheat growers had the highest yields in Europe. They will almost certainly be knocked off that perch this year," Mr O'Mahony said.

He said lower yields, reduced prices for grain and extra disease control costs to minimise the effects of the bad weather would have a significant impact on tillage incomes in 2002.