Harvest is almost finished at North Bowood Farm, Bridport, Dorset, where James Bowditch has just 15ha (37 acres) left to combine.

“Thank goodness we had a lot of crimped wheat to be getting on with, which kept us going every morning even when it was a bit wet.”

Early drilled wheat performed well, and even the later drilled crops averaged over 7.4t/ha (3t/acre), he said.

“But the straw has disintegrated in the last few fields – the weather had just destroyed it. Straw yields have easily halved.”

Mr Bowditch was cutting spring barley today (11 September), which was yielding about 6.2-6.7t/ha (2.5-2.7t/acre). “At minimal cost that’s been as good as anything.”

Carat winter barley yielded well before the rain, he said. “But by the time we got back to it half of it was on the floor.”