Oilseed rape is yielding almost 5t/ha in West Sussex, as combines start to roll.

After a late start to harvest, farmers in Chichester were among the first in the country to start cutting oilseed rape as grain store managers were bracing themselves for a flurry of activity over the next few weeks.

At Rectory Farm, in Bosham, Chichester, farmer Alastair Strange was sawing through a crop of Alienor on the first day of the oilseed rape harvest. His John Deere W650 combine was recording yields at 5t/ha with a mositure content of around 7.5%.

While some rape has been cut in southern counties, the vast majority of it remains standing in the field.

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