Has anyone noticed the amazing floral displays in so many of our hedgerows and woodlands at the present time?
Hawthorn, elm, scots fir, chestnut trees and even holly bushes, are festooned with flowers and fast-developing seed bodies right now.
I specifically mention holly, because someone once told me that it is not the most prolific of plants at the best of times.
Is this nature telling us that she hasn’t forgotten about us? Just think about it – a mere two weeks ago, the rain was still falling and temperatures were well below the seasonal normal.
What a difference a fortnight can make at this time of the year.
I was often told that nature has a way of balancing itself out. Many would, rightfully, argue that after the madness of last year, we need nature to be fighting in our corner in 2024.
Let’s hope this is the case.
Farmers will of course be very interested in what’s happening within their fields, as well as the hedgerows.
Getting grass and crop growth back on track will be a priority over the next week or so. The omens, in this regard, are looking positive.
Annual grass production levels in Ireland tend not to vary that much from year to year. The issue here, is the need for decent ground conditions to get the forage that is available harvested at the right times.
Where tillage is concerned, weather does play a key part in determining final yields and crop quality. Last year’s climatic challenges brought this point home in a very clear and meaningful way.
Even within the tillage sector, the first shoots of recovery can be gleaned.
Spring cereal crops planted out over the last few weeks are looking well, certainly where initial plant numbers are concerned.
So, assuming the weather plays ball over the coming weeks, the expectation of harvesting decent crops of barley, wheat and oats comes September would seem to be realistic enough.
Within all of this, a fundamental fact comes to the fore at all times. We can use all of the fertilisers, herbicides, fungicides and top plant genetics that the world has to offer.
But, at the end of the day, Mother Nature will always determine the final crops yields that farmers actually secure.