Combines made good progress over the bank holiday weekend, and early indications of wheat and spring barley quality after the rain are mixed.
Rob Sanderson at Openfield said wheat quality was rapidly declining following last week’s rain.
However, most of the wheat that had been left to cut was feed or soft wheat, so Group 1 and 2 milling wheat was generally in the barn, he said.
However, it was a different picture in Lincolnshire, where farmers had suffered particularly badly with the rain, said Simon Schaaning, store manager at Honey Pot Grain Store.
“I would say about a third of the wheat had been cut before the rain, and we haven’t got much hope for the rest."
In Wiltshire, Tim Carson’s wheat had been ready to cut three weeks ago before the rain, and had started to sprout.
“It’s just feed wheat, thankfully – we got all our milling wheat in early before the rain.”
Harvest was about 80% complete at Ed Lankfer’s Laurel Farm, Wereham, Norfolk, and he was pleased to back on combining this week.
“We got 15ha (37 acres) done at 15.8-16.5% moisture yesterday – that’s the driest we’ve had the wheat all season.
“There are a lot of shrivelled grains, but although the odd ear has shot after the rain, 99% of it looks fine.”
Harvest was also going well at Duncan Whiteman’s Arlescott Farm, Telford, Shropshire, although progress in the area was mixed.
“We are about 65% through harvest, and most people are about the same, although my neighbour has got some oats that have gone flat, and there is still some oilseed rape to do in the area.”
In the Brandsby area of Yorkshire harvest was almost finished, according to contractor Keith Snowball.
He had just a couple of acres of spring barley left to finish at his own High Farm, and 80ha (200 acres) of contract combining to do.
“It’s lovely quality, but is yielding below average on sandy land at 4.9t/ha (2t/acre). We’ll be finished by tomorrow night (1 September).”