Harvest will cause some tillage farmers to rethink plans

Where to now for tillage farmers? The harvest has been completed, returns for cereal farmers have been disappointing.

Even at a hoped-for €150 per ton, and straw value at €80 per acre, it would take a yield of over 3.3 tons to cover standard inputs and overheads for a grower of spring barley, leaving only their single farm payment for themselves.

For farmers who are renting land, ignoring the single farm payment implications, the reality is that most would be financially better off if they ceased growing grain.