Census reveals higher wheat and osr areas

The amount of wheat, barley and oilseed rape in the ground for this harvest were all above last year, according to provisional results from Defra’s June 2011 Census.

It put the English wheat area at 1.82m ha, 1.6% above 2010, with the largest increase in the Yorkshire and Humber region. The total barley area was up 4% to 607,000ha, driven by a 17% increase in spring cropping, which more than offset a 7% fall in winter barley.

The oilseed rape area was 8% higher than 2010 at 650,000ha, the largest area ever. Both spring and winter-sown areas increased, by 37% and 8% respectively.

Uncropped land was put at 136,000ha, 9% below last year.