Tom Barry: Making time to embrace the spirit of Meitheal in modern farming

Last autumn, I set winter barley, wheat, rye, and oats, and I’m glad to report that all look well. I got off to an early start in 2025 and set the spring oats on January 18, followed by the spring beans on February 10. 

I had disked the ground for the spring beans last September and deep-ripped the headlands and tramlines. I was anxious to help drainage on this heavy-natured ground.

The volunteer oats established, and this combination of subsoiling and cover crop resulted in the ground being in super order in early February.

I decided to direct-drill the beans into the cover crop using a John Deere 750A drill. I returned three weeks later to burn off the cover crop with glyphosate before the new beans emerged. 

One point of interest was that I had no crow attack, especially given the early setting date, simply because the beans were slotted into the ground and the cover crop hid any evidence. 

This method of establishment was so easy, with minimal soil disturbance. These beans are now well up, and the rows are visible.

The spring oats fared well also and received three bags of 18/5/12+S in late February. Great field conditions continued, and I got all of the winter crops rolled and the spring oats also in early March.

This land rolling certainly helped tiller formation in the winter crops. 

This simple practice, which is as old as 'Father Time', is still as valuable today as when it was first practiced.

In mid-March, I started the application of dairy and pig slurries on the standing winter crops. 

I have a mutually beneficial arrangement with my neighbouring dairy and pig farmers to import slurries, which enables me to reduce my artificial fertiliser requirement considerably while enabling my neighbours to keep their dairy cows.

This year, I also noticed the Irish “Meitheal” aspects of this collegial work. 

Bonus of social networking

We chatted as neighbours and organised the tasks while enjoying the time working together. The work was done, but the social networking was the bonus.

I set the last of the spring crops on March 20. I decided to use minimum tillage once again as the field conditions and light soil were ideal. I used a 3m tine cultivator purchased with the help of TAMS 3, and certainly, the results were excellent.

This winter, I began planting some of my boundary ditches. These, due to neglect, were useless in their primary role as fencing and, in some places, merely an earth mound. I erected sheep wire and then planted whitethorn and blackthorn plants. 

I interspersed oak, sycamore, and Scots pine to create more diversity for nature.

I have soil sampled all fields for the past two years, and I am making agronomy decisions based on these results. For example, the spring bean fields are high in K but low in P. 

The application of P alone, rather than my normal P-K blend, saved €50/acre. I also applied lime on winter wheat planted on ley ground. pH is critical to achieving yields. I tend to apply little and often, with the soil analysis pointing the way.

Teagasc results for the deep carbon soil sampling are also just back. 

At this stage, I’ve only got a preliminary view, but the results are impressive. I am storing large amounts of carbon in the soil and adding more each year with my farming practices. 

Personally, I am not interested in carbon trading, as I feel this practice is not developed or sufficiently proven. 

I am more interested in having valid proof of the carbon efficiency of my farming business to avoid the possible production restrictions that may be applied to negative-carbon farming systems in the future.

On a final note, I am getting the combine serviced next week — a sign that the seasons are moving on and the next harvest is in our sights again.