Early Finish to Drought-Hit Harvest Yields Big Savings

Harvest 2026 has come to an end in Ireland, with farmer Darren Allen reporting that it's one of the earliest on record. Despite some challenges due to drought and a shortened growing season, Allen was able to complete the harvest by mid-August.

In his experiments with winter wheat establishment systems, Allen compared yields from different methods, including conventional ploughing and direct drilling. The results showed that yields were very close across all methods, but the direct drilled method yielded 4.20 t/ac, outperforming the others. This translates to significant cost savings for farmers who use this method.

Allen also reported on his spring barley trials, which saw a yield of 3.31 t/ac where fungicides were applied, and 2.30 t/ac without them. The results suggest that biological alternatives can be effective in reducing the need for fungicides.