Wheat quality suffers in wet weather
Wheat quality is starting to suffer, with ongoing rain prompting a revival of harvest premiums for grain which is ready to move.
“Harvest has been a stop-start affair, with the emphasis on stop the further north you go,” said David Sheppard, managing director of Gleadell Agriculture.
“Maybe 20% of the crop has been cut with quality issues, mainly confined to lower Hagberg Falling Numbers in Oakley, Viscount and some other feed type wheats.
“Group one and two wheats have mainly been of good quality but, other than in the spot position, millers have stepped out of the market till they see more of the crop.”
Premiums were available for spot movement of both feed and milling wheat, he added.
Meanwhile, Defra had released its June census, putting the UK wheat area at 1.821m ha (4.5m acres) – a rise of 1.6% on last year.
“Yield information to date is patchy but generally slightly better than expectations.”
