End of harvest in sight
Record yields of about six tonnes per acre have been recorded for winter barley, and spring barley has averaged about 4.7 tonnes. But moisture runs as high as 30%.
Some crops still have to be harvested in parts of the country, but Teagasc expects that these will be completed over the weekend, where the weather continues fine.
Glanbia has announced that it will pay 95 per tonne for green feed barley and green feed wheat this harvest.
A spokesperson explained that these prices are subject to final market based reviews in early October for feed barley, and in late March 2005 for feed wheat prices.
Glanbia say they are committed to sourcing 100% of grain requirements from Irish producers. However, IFA Grain Committee chairman Paddy Harrington accused Glanbia of trying to collapse prices. He said their wheat price is 19/t below last year's green price, leaving farmers suffering a loss of 76/acre on a four tonne crop.
In addition, the average moisture content of grain this harvest is four to eight percentage points higher, which will knock a further 40 to 80/acre off a grower's bottom line for a four tonne crop of wheat. In total, wheat growers, at last year's yield, will be worse off by 116 to 156/acre, said Mr Harrington.
