Keeping pace with potatoes near Driffield
Farmers in Yorkshire are down to their last fields of winter beans, with most having now finished harvest, says Paul Temple at Wold Farm, Driffield.
“I’ve a cousin who is combining some vining peas, and there’s the odd field of winter beans that have been very slow to mature.
“It’s been more a frustrating harvest than a struggle. It was catchy and we never had any really dry harvest runs – but I’ve known a lot worse.”
Beluga and Santiago wheat yields were close to 10t/ha (4t/acre), he said.
“Yields have reflected soil type and organic matter more than ever before – some fields would be doing 10t/ha at one end and 5t/ha at the other.”
Quality had been good, but Mr Temple reckoned Beluga would stand better than Diego in a wet year.
“There hasn’t been a lot of straw this year.”
Winter drilling was keeping pace with potato harvest, which was going well, he added. “The winter crops have gone into some good seedbeds.”
Crop: Winter wheat
Varieties: Beluga and Santiago
Yield: 10t/ha (4t/acre)
Crop: Winter barley
Variety: Cassia
Yield: 10t/ha (4t/acre)
Crop: Oilseed rape
Varieties: Catana and Cabernet
Yield: 4.7t/ha (1.91t/acre)
