Spring cereal sowing hit by bad weather in Cork

Farmers have been advised to switch from barley to crops such as rape, beet or maize, as they run out of time to sow spring cereals.

Teagasc advisors said there was no point in risking poor establishment in wet soils, and pointed out feed cereal profit margins are expected to be low, even without crop establishment difficulties.

Last Sunday’s rain across the southern coast probably ruled out late cereal sowings for many farmers, ranging from 44.1 millimetres at Met Éireann’s Cork Airport weather station, to 26.3mm at Valentia.