Oilseed rape: If you are planting oilseed rape then it might be worth selling a bit forward when prices are at high levels.

Given recent dry conditions and risk around clubroot and pigeon damage it might be worth waiting to check on establishment before selling, but keep it in mind.

Catch crops: As time ticks on remember that the deadline to plant over-winter catch crops for the Farming for Water programme is 1 September. The deadline for ACRES is 15 September.

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Make sure to purchase higher voluntary standard cover crop seed which has been tested for wild oats, blackgrass and brome seeds.

Weed control: If you have grass weeds or other weeds you want to get a handle on around the farm then make sure to think about how you can reduce the seedbank. You could spray off any weeds that have regenerated and then create a stale seedbed by cultivating afterwards to allow more seeds to germinate. Bad fields should go into a spring crop or a break crop where appropriate. If the weed is out of control then it might be necessary for the field to go into grassland.

Cropping plan: As harvest draw to a close on many farms and planting season begins it is essential to develop a cropping plan for the year and years ahead. In order to do this you need to work out what crops are making the most profit. You do not have final prices for many crops, but you can base your calculations on estimates.

There are a number of questions that you need to ask yourself when making a cropping plan:

  • What crops will deliver the most profit?
  • Have you room for a protein crop on the farm which comes with a Government payment?
  • What area of crops can be grown in your rotation? For example, are some fields too close to the previous oilseed rape crop?
  • Have you ACRES catch crops to plant a specific area of? What area of catch crops do you want to plant otherwise?
  • Have you had take-all in recent years? Have you fields at risk of take-all and do these need to be avoided for certain crops or does a seed dressing need to be applied?
  • Are there crops you are not growing at the minute that you could have a market for like rye or maize?
  • Have you grass weeds? If you do you might need to delay sowing until spring time or plant a break crop in those fields to use alternative chemistry.
  • Will workload be spread out enough to be able to get work done on time throughout the year for all of the crops on your farm?

    • Hazardous waste: Hazardous waste collections will take place in September and October in Donegal, Louth, Galway, Kilkenny, Kildare and Cork. The first is in Donegal on 2 September at Ballybofey and Stranorlar livestock mart. You can bring out of date pesticides, rodenticides, paint, oil, medicine bottles, brake fluid and many more products.