Growing Season for Irish Wheat

Wheat

• Wheat grown in Ireland is primarily used for animal food as the environment is not dry enough to harden the wheat to the required baking standards.Industrial bakers mostly use imported wheat from France and Canada. The wheat straw is good for animal bedding, food and mushroom compost.

Growing Season

• Wheat is an annual crop and grows year round in Ireland. Winter-sown crops are planted in October and harvested in late July. Spring-sown crops are planted February to March and harvested in mid to late August. Each crop takes between 5 to 9 months to mature depending on when it was sown.

Yields

• Winter wheat has a longer growing season of around 9 months leading to a higher yield per acre. Spring wheat varieties can have higher levels of protein or gluten and can be better suited for flour production. Ireland produces some of the highest wheat yields in the world.