CONTINUED GOOD weather has led to substantial progress on the wheat harvest.

All across England and parts of Scotland farmers have been combining with many of them now finishing or planning to finish on Friday (Sept 2).

But very few farmers have been able to produce milling quality wheat as Hagbergs appear to have drained away.

Yields have been good, but some argue that when prices for feed wheat are so low, yields do not make a substantial difference.

Nigel Britland from Grainfarmers in Yorkshire said the good weather has come at a critical time, albeit too late for many, as quality in the wheat is hard to find.

“Quality has completely gone. Hagbergs are lost and now bushel weights are starting to go. It‘s been more of a salvage operation than a harvest this year.”

Dereck Lamplough will finish this years harvest later today (Sept 2) on his farm near Scarborough, Yorks.

“It‘s lost all of its quality so it will have to be sold off as feed but I‘m just happy that the ground is dry enough here to let us combine.”

Wiltshire farmer David Hues said: “It‘s been a very unpleasant harvest. It was absolutely desperate ten days ago and we‘re relieved to have nearly finished.”

Gerald Godfrey has harvested 40ha (100 acres) of wheat consisting of Claire and Robigus in Suffolk. Average yields have been about 8.65 t/ha (3.5 t/acre).

Scots farmer Sandy Alison has had a disastrous spell with his oilseed rape crop on his farm near Edinburgh.

He‘s had to leave 30ha (75 acres) out of the total 80ha (200 acres) because of sprouting problems.

But Ian Branstone in Gloucestershire said: “I don‘t think it‘s been a bad year at all – I‘m very happy and if prices were better I‘d be delighted.”

According to FWi weather services western and northern parts of the UK will be cloudy and windy with chances of rain while southern and eastern parts of the UK will be sunny.