Farmer Focus: Wheat yield at new high but milling oats poor
© Angela Waites Photography Predictably, perhaps, I start this column with a harvest update.
Wheat didn’t disappoint, producing a range of yields from 8.15t/ha to a new high for us of 14.25t/ha. This was mostly dictated by soil type and moisture-holding capacity.
The best field was actually a second wheat, with a mix of two varieties sown. Coincidence? We will be repeating the exercise to find out.
See also: Farmer Focus: Harvest 2022 finished in under a month
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Grain moistures have been in low double figures, and bushel weights higher than expected, averaging about 78kg/hl. The dryer has had a rest for once.
Market prices have dipped a little of late, but fortunately not to the depths of those loads I sold well in advance of harvest.
Our grain nearly all goes into the local feed market, given we’re surrounded by feed mills, with occasional malting barley, seed oats and beans for human consumption going elsewhere.
Spring barley delivered a low average of 4.9t/ha, but did OK considering the dry spring. Spring oats varied a bit.
Seed oats after sugar beet were OK at the same yield, but the milling oats were poor. We got those very wrong this year.
The preceding cover crop was desiccated too late, we direct-drilled them just before heavy rain (bad idea) which hampered plant populations on heavy land, then it has hardly rained since.
I’d like to say they’d scraped 4t/ha but I’d be exaggerating…
A week ago we cut the few winter beans we had this year, which managed 3t/ha at 11% moisture. Spring beans are still to be cut.
Land is in super condition, if a bit hard for our strip till. The investment in organic matter via muck and cover crops is showing its worth. The rapeseed is now in and cover crop drilling has commenced.
We’ve hosted a few visits from various officials, and our potato trial open days are coming up soon.
The calculator has been busy, but digs thus far show some worryingly low yields – it seems the heat has done more damage than anticipated. Here’s hoping Mother Nature doesn’t deliver huge rainfall during lifting.
Proving that we all need help sometimes, we have helped out two friends and neighbouring farmers with combine calamities this harvest.
I have long believed there is more to be gained from working with, rather than against, other farmers, because things go wrong for us all at some point.
