Fallow land a useful option

THE best option for some tillage farmers may be to leave their land go fallow and to use it only to claim the Single Farm Payment, Teagasc economists said in their medium-term outlook for beef, dairy and tillage farms, launched this week.

The predictions indicate that “entitlement farming” would have maximised farm income this year for about 12% of Irish tillage farmers, and will be the best option for nearly 25% by 2011, rising to 27% by 2018 (or 29% if there is a world trade agreement).

They assumed 2018 grain prices will be 12% higher than in 2006, but growing costs will have increased 50%. Rising costs and falling earnings will make tillage farming less profitable, predicted the experts. The options for entitlement farmers would include leasing out their land, low-intensity livestock production such as summer grazing or energy cropping.