Harvest started on 5th August with Pearl winter barley and finished on 23rd September with Robigus wheat. The only disaster this year was the decking of half my winter barley acreage with a helluva rain storm one Saturday night in July when the crop was still green. I did, however, manage to salvage 6.5 t/ha of feed quality off it.
As the cheques for grain started coming in this year, any pleasure was quickly dampened by the stream of fertiliser and fuel cheques going the other way for next year's crop.
With all barley and oilseed now off the farm and weights finalised I can give you some Gross Margins. These are income net of levies and charges. I have managed to include drying costs this year, being diesel and gas used by a tractor powered Opico mobile.
Winter barley: Pearl
OUTPUT £: 6.77 t/ha 854 COSTS £: Seed 59
Fert 163
Sprays 104
Contract 0
Drying 27
£854 Costs £353 Gross Margin £501
Oilseed Rape: NK Grace
OUTPUT £: 4.17 t/ha 1434 COSTS £: Seed 42
Fert 184
Sprays 112
Contract 40
Drying 34
£1434 Costs 412 Gross Margin £1022
Spring barley: Optic
OUTPUT £: 6.38 t/ha 1090 COSTS: Seed 79
Fert 118
Sprays 89
Contract 0
1090 Costs 286 Gross Margin £804
The Wheat crop is all in store with, unfortunately, no early sales. The first lot will leave in December at £92 per tonne and the rest is yet to sell. The variety is Robigus and the dried yield is hoped to work out at 9 t/ha. This will give me an estimated Gross Margin of £390/ha. I have always been happier with Riband on this farm but I am unable to get the seed now.
As the wheat prices demonstrate there is no room for complacency in this job. It is looking like next year could be back down to earth again, then add back 150% to 200% of the fertiliser costs and your are pushing the costs up by £250 to £350 per hectare. That's back down to earth with a bloody great thump!! That Gross Margin estimate of £390 at 9t/ha will be almost virtually wiped out.
Having had a splended evening watching all those thoroughly deserving winners at the Farmers Weekly Awards in the Grosvenor Hotel, I have nothing better than the wooden spoon for Yara.