It was coming off the field at 12% moisture and the combine was getting on pretty smoothly, he said.

“The only real problem we’ve had was with the rabbits and hedge mustard on the headlands.”

He said he did not yet have an accurate idea of yield, but it had established relatively well in the autumn.

 “We direct drilled the rape, meaning that more moisture was left in the ground”

Despite the weather Mr Turnbull is harvesting his rape pretty much on time. “Down here (in Dorset) we’re always a bit earlier,” he said.

“So far we’ve had every weekend off, which helps to keep labour costs down.”

He now has no crops to harvest for the rest of this week.

“I’m glad that I now have the time to get on with the cultivations.

“I’m pretty happy with the way things are getting on.”

Mr Turnbull will start harvesting his oats in a week and hopes to get underway with his wheat by the end of the month.

Mr Turnbull is also very optimistic over the forthcoming wheat crop.

“There is a tremendous bit of wheat crop on the chalky soil – it’s absolutely amazing.”