“However, it is now evident that the microclimate enjoyed by the maize sown out under plastic facilitated excellent root growth. “As a result, crops jumped out of the ground once conditions warmed


up in June. The very warm and dry conditions experienced during July also facilitated the growth of maize crops tremendously.” But it is not all good news for maize growers. Robert Duncan


reports that the current OXYfilms used to establish maize crops will not be allowed for use beyond 2022. However, it was initially thought the changes might have been introduced for the next growing season. “These changes are coming on the back of continuing pressure


to take plastic of all kinds out of the environment,” Robert commented. “DAERA has confirmed to Maizetech that existing stocks of the OXYfilm can be used up. This will allow us to maintain the status quo next year.


“So, in reality, the maize sector has managed to secure a year’s


reprieve, where the use of the new materials is concerned. But change is coming beyond that point. Maizetech has been trialling new compostable films that will be available for the 2023 planting season. “The drawback from a grower’s perspective is that they will be


slightly more expensive than the current films. Farmers and contractors will also have to re-tool their equipment and train-up on the use of the new films. Again, this is adding to the cost.” Rober t pointed out that the exist ing OXYf i lms are photodegradable. “I think that the maize sector got very little official recognition, where


this point is concerned,” Robert commented. “However, we are where we are. The compostable films will become a reality in 2023. But the good news is that maize has shown itself to be a consistent crop that can deliver very exceptional yields under local growing conditions. “The prospects for further growth being achieved within the sector look very promising indeed.”


IRISH GOVERNMENT URGED TO COME UP WITH STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Tim Cullinan believes there must be real negotiation with farmers now about the Irish government’s new strategic plan, along with other key issues, such as sectoral targets under the Climate Act, the Nitrates Action Programme and the allocation of the €1.5bn in carbon tax funds committed in the Programme for Government. “We are getting sick of these meaningless consultation processes,”


Cullinan said. “IFA puts huge work into replying to consultations, which appear to go into a black hole. We need negotiation, not just consultation. Our livelihoods are on the line. “The CAP, sectoral climate targets, the Nitrates directive and carbon


tax funding will directly affect farmers’ incomes. The Government needs to sit down with farmers and treat us with respect instead of lumping us in with other ‘stakeholders’ who have no skin in the game.


“Farmers understand the climate challenge and we can deliver a


lot. However, I believe a lot more can be achieved through negotiation rather than through these consultation processes, which are effectively a box-ticking exercise to give the Government carte blanche to do whatever they like. “Farmers want to engage constructively, but the goalposts keep


moving. We had AgClimatise and the Agri-Food Strategy 2030. Now we are told that these will be superseded by sectoral targets. Farming is a business, and farmers need certainty. The Government must sit down with us to negotiate a plan.”


In my opinion … Richard Halleron EVERY DAY IS A SCHOOL DAY The tremendous adaptability of so many Irish farmers is a trait they very rarely get full credit for. Thoughts of this nature were very much to the fore in my mind on a very wet day last week when I helped a friend fix a gap in a barbed-wire fence. The need for the repair was created by the flirtatious endeavours of


a certain heifer who thought it was time to pay the bull next door either a late night or early morning visit. What happened next constituted, for me, one of the most important lessons in practical farming that I have ever received. The farmer in question produced the three strands of wire required to carry out the job. So far: so good But the real question in my mind was: “How are we going to get a bit of tension into the repair?” I did not have long to wait for an answer. A fork was produced from the back of a quad. The two strands


making up the wire were gently separated at the end furthest away from the initial point of attachment, and one of the tines pushed through the hole created. This meant that the fork could then be placed behind the end post


with the required tension created by me levering against it. No words were spoken that morning. I got a sense of what was happening, and I just went with the flow. The entire job was completed in ten minutes...it was all brilliantly


simple. Had I been left to my own devices, I would probably have spent two hours flapping around and coming up with a final result that was a pale shadow of what was actually achieved that day. I am not going to mention the name of the farmer involved: it would


only cause embarrassment. However, I am pretty certain that he is a regular reader of this column. But to say that I was given food for thought on that very wet morning would be an understatement. One name that I will mention, though, is that of Co. Down cereal


grower Allan Chambers. Back in the days of the Focus Farms’ programme, he would always make the point that the chance to visit different farms provides a unique opportunity to get a real sense of how other people actually think.


He was so right: every day is a school day!


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