Peter Fairs is 60% of the way through his wheat at Great Tey, Colchester, Essex, and quality is starting to suffer from the rain.
“We haven’t harvested anything under 18% moisture,” he said. “We have had measurable rain on 17 of the first 20 days of August – I don’t think I can ever remember having that.”
Mr Fairs’ second wheats were disappointing, at about 7.4t/ha (3t/acre), while the first wheats have been better at near to 9.9t/ha (4t/acre).
Hearty industrial oilseed rape was also disappointing, at just 2.5t/ha (1t/acre).
Mr Fairs now had 372ha (920 acres) of wheat as well as peas and borage to get in. “I suspect the wheat is losing Hagberg now – the Glasgow was starting to sprout when we cut it.”
Crop: Winter wheat
Varieties: Glasgow, Humber, Solstice and Robigus
Area: 559ha (1380 acres)
Yield: 7.4-9.9t/ha (3-4t/acre)
Crop: Oilseed rape
Variety: Hearty
Area: 162ha (400 acres)
Yield: 2.5t/ha (1t/acre)
|  Duxford winter wheat is an HGCA Recommended List 2008/09 variety with very high UK treated yields and the top score for resistance to lodging with PGR. Combined with an unbeaten second wheat yield and a balanced disease resistance profile, this new variety from Syngenta Seeds will help UK growers rise to the challenge of producing more grain profitably. See the New Farm Crops website. |