Tom Barry: The year we did two years' work in one

Tom was named the overall winner of the Better Farming Awards earlier this year.

Tom Barry pictured (right) with James Greevy, Herdwatch, who sponsored the Herdwatch Environmental Farmer of the Year - a category Tom won as well as the overall award.

Tillage farming in 2024 was one of the most challenging years; many of us did two years’ work in one, along with taking advantage of short working windows. Ground conditions were difficult in spring, and many crops were sown late, especially beans. The harvest started for me on July 16 with winter barley. 

This crop yielded 4t/acre due to the strong fertility in the soil. Winter oats were next in late July, but the yield was a disappointing 3.25t/acre; a late frost certainly didn’t help this crop.