“It has been a fantastic year and hopefully it will last,” were the positive words from Chris Smith in Berkshire.

He finished a 200ha winter barley harvest at 9t/ha, which was a rise of 0.5t/ha on last year.

He was “very pleased” with the bushel weight of 72kg/hl for variety Carat.

But the 61kg/hl weight for 25ha of Siberia was “a bit of an issue” however it was “only our first year” for the crop.

With the barley coming in at 13.5% moisture, he said: “It was nice not to have to dry anything.”