Teagasc Organic Arable Farm Walk

on the farm of

Gavin Tully,

Clonhenritte, Camolin, Enniscorthy,

Co Wexford

Wednesday 13

th June 2018

Rural Economy

& Development

Programme

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Topics for Discussion

Introduction and overview of farming system

Keys to successful cereal crop establishment

Nutrient Management - getting it right

Potato Husbandry

Red Clover

Combi-crops (cereal and a pulse mix)

Cereal and Pulse Production

Machinery and processing

Market Opportunities

Steps to Organic Certification

DAFM grant and scheme support

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Introduction

Gavin Tully, together with his wife, Norma and 3 sons Jack

(13), Dylan (9) and Luke (6) farm 100 acres of organic tillage

and arable crops on their family farm in Camolin, Co. Wexford.

Over the years, Gavin has farmed in a range of different

enterprises including cereals, dairying and suckler/beef farming.

After over 20 years of growing conventional tillage crops he

became unhappy with the lack of profitability of the system and

looked further afield at other options which he had an interest

in. After a lot of thought and deliberation and after completing

the FETAC Teagasc Organic Farming Course in Portlaoise in

early 2015, he decided to make the move into organic cereal

production in March 2015. Initially he converted 25ac of tillage

ground (peas) before making the decision to convert the whole

farm to 100% organic status in 2016.

Gavin now succeeds in supplying all of his crops into the

organic market through a diverse range of outlets including the

organic whiskey market (via Boortmalt), organic veg. market

stalls and supermarket retail (via an organic market gardener)

and through direct sales from the farm (combi-crops to organic

livestock framers and potatoes to the consumer), all at a

premium price above conventional.

Gavin also runs a separate contracting business on the farm

processing cereal feeds for local farmers.

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Main developments on the farm in recent years in

preparation for organic production:

Gavin identified organic market outlets for his organic

products including Boortmalt (organic distilling wheat

and barley), Flahavans (organic oats for porridge), other

organic farmers (organic grain for livestock feed) and

direct to the consumer (potatoes via another organic

market gardener and direct sales of potatoes from farm).

Purchase of Spring-tine weeder (including air-seeder)

for control of weeds post Spring crop establishment.

Introduction of potato enterprise.

Nutrient management: Importation of permitted

nutrients (subject to organic EU standards). Erection of a

slatted tank to store imported slurry from other farms

(source of slurry is subject to EU organic standards).

Future developments on the farm to be considered include:

Continue to develop his crop rotation by growing red

clover and other break crop options and possibly

livestock grazing to enhance the sustainability of his

organic enterprise.

Consider other crops eg. organic oats for the porridge

market, hemp etc.

Look at developing processing facilities for potatoes.

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Land Use

Area of crops grown: Total claimed area for crops = 37.41ha

Crop Type Area (ha)

Mixed cropping (Combi-

crops):

Oats and Peas

Barley, Oats and Peas

Wheat and Peas

19.38ha including:

6.96ha

7.12ha

5.3ha

Spring Wheat 5.45ha

Spring Barley 4.57ha

Potatoes 1.24ha

Red Clover 3.00ha

Wild Bird Cover 3.22ha

Fallow 0.55ha

Note: Other areas: Farmyard 0.57ha

Woodland 0.23ha

Note: catch crops:

Sown on some areas post-cereal harvest = 16.3 ha.

Catch crop mix = Mustard + Vetch + Barley or Oats.

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Note: 16.3ha of catch crops will be sown in Autumn post

cereal harvest.

Organic Tillage and Arable Farming

Organic cereal and arable farming has been a profitable

enterprise over the last number of years in Ireland. A stockless

tillage system can be practised; however a mixed stock and

tillage organic system may be more sustainable due to the ready

availability of slurry and farmyard manure from the farm.

Rotations are used to:

1. Replenish nitrogen (with clover or other legumes)

2. Manage weeds and diseases

3. Build organic matter

4. Allow diversity and spread financial risk

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In organic production, crop nutrients include legumes and

permissible organic manures and mineral fertilizers. Pests,

diseases and weeds are controlled by planting disease resistant

varieties, mechanical weeding and false/stale seedbed

techniques. There is a strong demand for organic cereals both

for livestock and human consumption. The demand for organic

cereals is expected to continue to increase for the foreseeable

future. Output is lower than conventional units but costs tend to

be lower and prices for grain are higher.

Physical details of crops 2018

Spring Barley

Variety:

WYALANADA

Sowing rate:

200kg/ha

Sowing date:

26th

April 2018

Spring Wheat

Variety:

QUINTUS

Sowing rate:

200kg/ha

Sowing date:

28th

April 2018

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Mixed cropping/Combi-crops (various)

Variety: 3 crops

Oats and Peas

57% ASPEN Oats (organic), 13% PROPHET Pea (organic),

30% CAMPUS Pea (non-organic),

. Barley, Oats and Peas

30% WESTMINISTER Barley (organic), 30% ASPEN Oats

(organic),

10% PROFIT Pea organic), 30% CAMPUS Pea (non-organic)

Wheat and Pea

62% MULIKA Wheat (organic); 8% PROPHET Peas (organic),

30% CAMPUS Pea (non-organic).

Sowing rate:

250kg/ha: generally 60% /40% cereal/pulse mix by weight at

sowing.

Sowing date:

Oats/Peas - 28th

April

Barley/Oats/Peas - 14th

May

Wheat/Peas - 1st May

Potatoes

Variety:

SETANTA (organic)

Sowing rate:

1 tonne seed /acre approximately. 1 potato per 1 ft. 34” drill.

Sowing date:

1st June 2018

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Peas

Variety:

ALVESTA and CAMPUS

Sowing rate:

280 kg/ha

Sowing date:

15th

May 2018

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Crop Establishment and Cereal Weed

Management Case Study

Comb harrow (including air seeder) used for Spring weed

management on cereals.

Treatment 1: Spring barley comb harrowed. Photo taken

17th May 2018. Crop sown 26th April 2018.

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Treatment 2: Spring barley NOT comb harrowed. Photo

taken 17th May 2018. Crop sown 26th April 2018.

3 weeks later (7th

June 2018). Treatment 1: Spring tine

weeder used on Left vs Treatment 2: No spring tine weeder

used on Right. Good crop establishment on both treatments.

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Nutrient Management of Organic Farms

The management of nutrients in organic farming systems

presents a considerable challenge compared to non-organic

farming, as the use of synthetic fertilisers or the “quick fix”

solution is not permitted as an option to address soil fertility.

The aim for organically approved manures and fertilisers is to

allow biological soil processes to progressively release the

nutrients within the fertiliser so the crop gets a balanced and

continuous supply. Therefore organic farmers must especially

plan longer term with the aim of using a range of soil, crop,

rotation, manure and natural mineral fertiliser management

options to ensure a nutrient supply which will guarantee

optimum crop yields and minimise nutrient losses to the

environment.

Nutrient Budgets - the basic principles

A crude method of monitoring the farm fertility would be to

stand at the farm gate and count the purchases and sales of

produce. Straw, seed, meat, milk and grain all contain different

levels of nutrients. The following table shows the approximate

amounts of P and K in different farm products.

Dairy Processing Sludge from an approved Dairy Processor

can be used as a nutrient input on organic farms.

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Table: Nutrient content of various farm products (P &

K)

Product (per ton) P (kg) K (kg)

Milk 1 1 – 2

Meat (beef) 10 2

Meat (lamb) 6 1.8

Meat (Pig) 1.8 2.9

Grain 1000kgs 3.4 4.7

Straw 1.5 5 - 10

Potatoes 0.6 4.9

(Source:- various)

Once this is completed it can be seen how much the

shortfall is. As a general rule the more productive the

farm, the higher the level of inputs required. Table above

only deals with removals but if soil fertility is low extra

nutrients will be required to improve output. Poor soil

fertility limits the crops that can be grown successfully.

Your local adviser can help you work a budget for your

farm.

It is important to try and assess the loss/gain of nutrients

from the farm over a rotation. A nutrient budget is no

different from any other budget in that there are receipts

and outgoings. The receipts are the nutrients imported

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onto the farm in the form of feed, seed, grain, straw,

slurry, farmyard manure (FYM) and approved fertilisers.

The outgoings on a typical farm include animals, milk,

grain, straw or vegetable crops. On many farms some of

the products produced by one enterprise are used by

another. Where this is happening it is important to

complete a fertility budget for each field.

Nutrient use on Gavin’s farm 2017 and 2018:

Year Type Amount

purchased/i

mported

Where spread

and rate spread

2017 PhysiolithTM

3 tonnes

purchased

Applied onto

potatoes, pea

monocrop and

pea-barley

combi-crop.

Ground Rock

Phosphate

(GRP)

3 tonnes

purchased

Applied onto pea

monocrop and

pea-barley

combi-crop.

Farmyard

Manure (FYM)

150 8x4x4

straw bales.

Bales spread

across all crops

which did not

receive GRP.

2018 Dairy

Processing

Waste Sludge

from Galnbia,

Ballyragget, Co.

Kilkenny.

90 tonnes Applied onto

spring wheat,

spring barley and

pea-wheat

combi-crops pre-

ploughing

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Optimum pH for crops Peas pH 7.0

Cereals pH 6.5

Potatoes pH 6.0

ref: Teagasc (2016). Major and micro-nutrient advice for

productive agricultural crops. “The Green Book”.

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Red Clover

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Oat and Pea combi-crop showing diagonal rolling

used for crow damage abatement (Photo taken 17th

May 2018). Crop sown 28th

April 2018.

3 weeks later. Spring oat and pea combi-crop. 7th

June 2018.

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Spring Wheat. Photo taken 7th June '18. Crop sown 28th

April 2018.

Peas. Photo taken 7th

June. Sowed 15th May.

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Overview of Organic Cereal Production in

Ireland

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Supply vs demand of organic cereals/pulses

in Ireland 2016

Organic Regulation and Seed Usage

Must seek permission to use un-treated non-organic seed

from your Organic Certification Body (OCB).

This permission must be granted by the OCB before

purchase if non-organic seed is required.

Organic seed database with details of suppliers and

available organic seed www.organicxseeds.com

Conventional treated seed is not permitted to be used.

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Organic Certification in

Ireland

A major factor that distinguishes organic farming from other

approaches to sustainable farming is the existence of internationally

acknowledged standards and certification procedures. The standards

for organic production within the European Union are defined and

enshrined in law by Council Regulation EC 834/2007 as amended. In

Ireland the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the

competent authority (i.e. - the Department’s Organic Unit is based at

Johnstown Castle Estate Wexford) for regulating the organic sector

and ensuring that the obligations and requirements of Council

Regulation (EC) No. 834/2007 as amended and adhered to.

The Organic Unit of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the

Marine have designated Official Certification Bodies whose role is to

certify organic producers, farmers and processors through and

inspection process of each individual’s unit or farm. Further

information can be sourced from these organic certification bodies:

IOA (Irish Organic Association)

13 Inish Carraig, Golden Island, Athlone.

Tel: (090) 64 33680 www.iofga.org

Organic Trust

2 Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3.

Tel: (01) 853 0271 www.organictrust.ie

Global Trust Certificate Ltd.

3rd floor, Block 3, Quayside Business Park, Mill Street, Dundalk, Co Louth.

Tel: (042) 93 20912 Fax: (042) 93 8686 Email: info@gtcert.com

BDA Certification- Organic and Demeter

The Painswick Inn Project, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GLS 1QS, United Kingdom

(0044) 145 376 6296 Fax: (0044) 145 375 950.

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On Farm Scheme A standard rate of aid of 40% on investments up to a ceiling of

€80,000 (i.e. can generate a grant of €32,000 from an investment of

€80,000). For qualifying young organic farmers who meet the

specific eligibility criteria, the standard rate of aid is 60% on

investments up to a ceiling of €80,000.

How to Apply and Closing Date:

Online applications only through www.agfood.ie facility.

Organic Processing Scheme Grant aid of up to 40% on €1.25 million (i.e. can generate a grant of

€500,000 for an investment of €1.25 million) in facilities for the

processing, preparation, grading, packing and storage of organic

products with minimum level of investment in excess of €3,000.

Full details and T&C:

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie

Queries:

DAFM Organic Unit, Johnstown Castle: (053) 91 63400

Teagasc contacts: Dan Clavin, Organic Specialist,

Teagasc, Athenry, Co. Galway.

dan.clavin@teagasc.ie

Elaine Leavy, Organic Specialist,

Teagasc, Grange, Co. Meath.

elaine.leavy@teagasc.ie

Targeted Agricultural

Modernisation Scheme Organic

Capital Investment Scheme

(OCIS)

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