Chris Vowles finished harvest at Freemans Farm, Barrow Gurney, Bristol, on Friday (3 September), but is disappointed with yields.

“It was really dry here and we only got two-thirds of a crop – at least it is worth a bit more,” he said.

“Where the soil was shallow it was a real let-down; I just hope that some of the fertiliser is left in the soil from last year.”

Flagon spring barley averaged 3.7-4.3t/ha (1.5-1.75t/acre) – about 1.2t/ha (0.5t/acre) below normal.

Claire winter wheat, which usually did 7.4t/ha (3t/acre), struggled to make 5t/ha (2t/acre).

“It was excellent quality though – we feed it to our pigs and they are doing really well on it – it was a vintage year for quality so it’s not all doom and gloom.”

Most people had finished harvesting in the area, with just a few fields of baling left to do.

Crop: Winter wheat
Variety: Claire
Yield: 5t/ha (2t/acre)

Crop: Spring barley
Variety: Flagon
Yield: 3.7-4.3t/ha (1.5-1.75t/acre)