We are introducing cereals back into the farm rotation to try and diversify the farm output and bring some more variety back into farmed landscape.
This is our first crop. Some costello winter wheat. However with crops now only occupying 3% of farm land area in NI it seems there aren't many interested in growing combinable crops here. I can see why with wet summers, small fields and limited access to machinery. But with the climate changing, net zero obligations putting pressure on the livestock sector and availability of grains and straw under pressure I wonder whether others are thinking crops could be making a come back? What do you think?
We're having a go with oats. Cereals work well in a crop rotation with flax we are told. The first year we tried them after the flax we got a good crop but come harvest time we couldn't find a contractor with a small enough machine to get up our lane - so we bought an old combine and promptly bogged it! Second year the crows got most of them. Hopefully this year will be third time lucky.