Giles Porter hopes to finish combining beans at Penn Croft Farms, Farnham, Surrey, today (3 September), leaving just 30ha (74 acres) of linseed to cut.
“The Wizard beans have been pretty ropey – they just died out too early, although on the heavier ground they are better.
“There has been a definite split on the yield maps – the wheat on the gravel did less than 7.4t/ha (3t/acre), while on the good ground it was 9.4t/ha (3.8t/acre).”
Scout, cut later, had sprouted in some places, as had Alchemy where it had toppled over. “But the earlier cut Einstein, Cordiale and Claire were fine.
“The yield was much more dependent on soil type than variety this year.”
Castille, Cabernet and Flash oilseed rape all yielded a similar amount, at 3.7t/ha (1.7t/acre).
“We had some Cabernet that was hit hard by the late frosts, which did surprisingly well in the end.”
Crop: Winter wheat
Varieties: Claire, Einstein, Cordiale, Alchemy and Scout
Yield: 7.4-9.4t/ha (3-3.8t/acre)
Crop: Oilseed rape
Varieties: Flash, Cabernet and Castille
Yield: 3.7t/ha (1.7t/acre)