Paul Temple has finished harvest at Wold Farm, Driffield, East Yorkshire, having escaped lightly with the wet weather.
“We have been fortunate – we escaped the worst of the weather, and have even baled the straw in good condition,” he said.
“The past two years have been a nightmare, so to have bales that don’t fall to pieces is a spectacular change.”
Yields were much better than expected, with Alchemy and Humber winter wheat averaging close to 10t/ha (4t/acre).
“We were really pleased with the Humber – it outperformed the Alchemy and its straw strength is why we grow it.”
Saffron winter barley yielded an exceptional 9.5t/ha (3.8t/acre), while Catana oilseed rape averaged 3.7t/ha (1.5t/acre), despite 10% of the area being almost bald, said Mr Temple.
Most people had finished harvest in the area, although those further north were struggling with wet conditions.
“We’ve used a lot less fuel for drying than we have for the past two years, and the crops, for some reason, have been easy to combine this year.”
Crop: Winter wheat
Varieties: Alchemy and Humber
Yield: 10t/ha (4t/acre)
Crop: Winter barley
Variety: Saffron
Yield: 9.5t/ha (3.8t/acre)
Crop: Oilseed rape
Variety: Catana
Yield: 3.7t/ha (1.5t/acre)
|  Duxford winter wheat is an HGCA Recommended List 2009/10 variety with very high UK treated yields and a maximum 9 rating for resistance to lodging with and without PGR. Combined with the highest second wheat yield and a balanced disease resistance profile, Duxford will continue to help UK growers meet the challenge of producing more grain profitably. Go to the Syngenta Seeds website |