Why so little tillage in Ireland?

JupiterKid

I was watching a documentary on arable farming in Europe and came to the realisation that despite our favourable climate and growing season, tillage farming is relatively underdeveloped in Ireland. I know dairy and beef farming are the predominant type of farming enterprise here and do well but surely given the growth in biofuels and markets for food like India and China there is more scope for tillage?

Also, is it true that mixed tillage/pastoral farming has been in decline for many years now?

nilhg

I don't know if it's true to say that tillage farming is relatively underdeveloped in all of Ireland, if you were to take a drive sayArdee-Navan -Kilcock-Kildare-Athy-Carlow-Tullow-Bunclody-Enniscorthy-New Ross-Waterford-Clonmel-Cork you'd see some of the highest yielding tillage farms in the entire world.

But you notice that your tour has brought you through the dryest part of the country, I think there are soils just as good in other parts of the country but as the rainfall total rises so does the problems of controlling diseases and pests in crops as well as reducing the windows for sowing and harvesting.


I think all sectors of Irish agriculture have gradually become more specialised, but just thinking about my area there are still plenty of mixed farmers, loads of the big dairy or beef guys would have maize or even cereals for wholecropping, often though they'd be getting a contractor or neighbour to do the work and provide the expertise on growing the crops.

reilig

In jkeeping with Nilhg's context, i can tell you why there is little or no tillage in the North West and West. The soil is not deep enough to plough. An example is the land that I have. Most of it would only have 2 - 3 inches of soil which has poor drainage and retains a lot of water.

We have the climate and growing season all across the country, but we don't have the soil.

bbam

reilig wrote: »

Most of it would only have 2 - 3 inches of soil which has poor drainage and retains a lot of water.

SNAP

Unless rushes count in the tillage business... then we'll give you a run for your money:rolleyes:

nilhg

reilig wrote: »

In jkeeping with Nilhg's context, i can tell you why there is little or no tillage in the North West and West. The soil is not deep enough to plough. An example is the land that I have. Most of it would only have 2 - 3 inches of soil which has poor drainage and retains a lot of water.

We have the climate and growing season all across the country, but we don't have the soil.

bbam wrote: »

SNAP

Unless rushes count in the tillage business... then we'll give you a run for your money:rolleyes:

Fair enough, but it's not just the soils, Tuam had a sugar factory up until the 80's I think, and I know that there are some fabulous soils in Donegal, Derry and Tyrone but even though there are some big tillage guys up there their job is made much harder by high rainfall totals and crops being later than down south with all the consequent problems that brings for sowing and harvest.

On climate usually we have a great climate for growing crops and grass, but the down side of that is that it's great for septoria and rhyncosporium too, in a bad year if your spraying schedule gets delayed they can totally defoliate a crop.

irishh_bob

JupiterKid wrote: »

I was watching a documentary on arable farming in Europe and came to the realisation that despite our favourable climate and growing season, tillage farming is relatively underdeveloped in Ireland. I know dairy and beef farming are the predominant type of farming enterprise here and do well but surely given the growth in biofuels and markets for food like India and China there is more scope for tillage?

Also, is it true that mixed tillage/pastoral farming has been in decline for many years now?

thier are a few reasons

1 . you need scale in order to make a decent living from tillage and farms in ireland are very small compared to other major grain growing areas of europe and the world , some might say that you dont need to own land to grow crops on it , this is true but we also have a huge number of small part time farmers in ireland so thier is never enough land available to rent , add to that , a tillage farmer would need to be renting land for more than one year for it to be worth his while expanding , we have little in the way of long term lease frameworks in this country

2 . contary to popular belief , thier is a large percentage of very average land in ireland which is not suitable for growing crops , this in itself adds to the limited availability of ground and has contributed to the fact that livestock farming ( rather than tillage ) has played such a dominant role in irish farming

ihatetractors

Ay,tillage is a game of numbers, it used to be everyone had 20/30 acres. Then 50/60 gave a good return. We're now in the region of the few hundred acres, and due to the HHHUUUUGGEEE rise in every cost over the next 10 years a story of thousands.

Growing costs depending on the year etc are either side of €250 an acre, nevermind rent. Christ everyone see's one good year and out come the rose tinted glasses.

JupiterKid

Thanks guys for your answers and explanations. So farm size would be an important issue in the viability of a tillage farm?

And I take it that tillage farming is concentrated in, but not restricted to - the East of the country in places like Louth, Meath, Kildare, the rural parts of County Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny?

Aren't parts of East Cork and East Donegal also outliers of tillage farming too?

I've also noticed, driving through South Kildare and Carlow, that quite a lot of tillage farms seem to have got rid of their hedgerows and the farm has become like one giant field. Surtely this is not good for the environment and local wildlife?

irishh_bob

JupiterKid wrote: »

Thanks guys for your answers and explanations. So farm size would be an important issue in the viability of a tillage farm?

And I take it that tillage farming is concentrated in, but not restricted to - the East of the country in places like Louth, Meath, Kildare, the rural parts of County Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny?

Aren't parts of East Cork and East Donegal also outliers of tillage farming too?

I've also noticed, driving through South Kildare and Carlow, that quite a lot of tillage farms seem to have got rid of their hedgerows and the farm has become like one giant field. Surtely this is not good for the environment and local wildlife?

its not practical for a monster of a combine harvester to plod around five acre fields , compared to other countries , ireland has a very low number of ranch size open fields , this is one of the reasons why tillage is relativley small of a sector here

the wildlife argument is a whole other debate and completley unrelated to the original theread question

Tipp Man

JupiterKid wrote: »

Thanks guys for your answers and explanations. So farm size would be an important issue in the viability of a tillage farm?

And I take it that tillage farming is concentrated in, but not restricted to - the East of the country in places like Louth, Meath, Kildare, the rural parts of County Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny?

Aren't parts of East Cork and East Donegal also outliers of tillage farming too?

I've also noticed, driving through South Kildare and Carlow, that quite a lot of tillage farms seem to have got rid of their hedgerows and the farm has become like one giant field. Surtely this is not good for the environment and local wildlife?

South Tipp - thats where the real tillage lads are;)