Sunshine and heat greeted the record attendance at the Irish Seed Trade open day on July 10 at the Dept. of Agriculture & Food (DAFM) Ballyderown Farm.

Among the attendance were agro chemical and animal feed suppliers (Brett Bros, Dairygold Coop, Glanbia, Grennans, Red Mills etc), cereal growers, crop consultants, DAFM personnel, food industry (DIAGEO, Flahavans, Glanbia Plc, Odlums etc), Irish Farmers Association representatives, Teagasc specialists, seed suppliers (Germinal, Goldcrop, RAGT Seeds, Seedtech, Syngenta etc) , trade personnel from agribusiness sectors in Britain and Ireland.

Crops on trial with excellent results included winter/spring barley, oats and wheat plus forage maize, oilseed rape and grass/clover varieties. Due to current good weather conditions in Ireland crop quality and yields are expected to be much improved over 2012. If this good weather continues it will also reduce cereal harvesting and grain storage costs which are another bonus.

Photos -No Reproduction Fee by Fergal O’Gorman: Tel: +353.87.2639143. Pictured at the Irish Seed Trade Association (ISTA) in conjunction with the Irish Dept of Agriculture cereal trials open day on the Ballyderown Farm, Moorepark, Fermoy are John Metcalfe, Agricultural Consultant, Tullow, Co Carlow, Ciaran Collins, Teagasc, Jim O'Mahony, Teagasc & Josephine Brennan, Department of Agriculture in a crop of spring oats.