Richard Hackett: Why we need to reduce our reliance on heavy machinery
With machinery costs soaring and soil fertility collapsing, we must to do some soul-searching and design a more sustainable model of farming
'Visiting growers from the UK and continental Europe often snigger at the level of mechanisation present on Irish farms for such a small area'
By any measure, 2023 has been a mare of a year for tillage production. For the past 13 months, we have been battling the weather: too wet then too dry, too wet then too hot, too wet and more too wet.
Prices plummeted and costs have remained excessive. More than anything else, it has been mentally draining on many.
