WET AND miserable weather continues to disrupt harvest and frustrate farmers. Although many places didn‘t receive rain on Friday (Aug 13), crops and fields were still too wet for combining.

With most wheat ripe and ready to harvest, the rain is raising growing concerns over quality, in particular hagbergs in milling wheat.

However, further reports from farmers in the west and north are underlining the positive harvest for barley and oilseed rape in those areas.

In the east, Tom Dye from Cambs based Fengrain said 25% of wheat has been cut with generally good results.

“People have been harvesting their group 1 wheats early when moisture contents are around 20% to keep quality.

“From what we have seen so far, it‘s not a bad picture, but rain and bad forecasts are bringing doubt – signs are the weather will have some effect on quality.”

Chris Smith, manager for Welford Farms near Newbury, Berkshire is halfway through combining wheat and is very happy with the way harvest is going.

“Last year we were harvesting Claire at 10t/ha (4.05 t/acre) and this year at 11.35 t/ha (4.59 t/acre) which is fantastic. Everything has been yielding through the roof.”

Mr Smith said he was lucky to harvest the second wheats before the rain came helping to preserve hagberg or specific weight.

Both Ian Branstone, from Glos and Stephan Betts from Norfolk are frustrated by the weather.

Mr Betts said: “We‘ve got a lot of wheat to do and haven‘t cut any yet – put it this way; it‘s not been the happiest days of my life.”

Despite the rain, Mr Branstone says harvest has been “fantastic” so far with Escort oilseed rape yielding 3.46 t/ha (1.4 t/acre) and Optic spring barley yielding 6.92 t/ha (2.8 t/acre) and meeting all requirements for malting.

Robert Jones from North Yorkshire is half way through his Canberra oilseed rape harvest with so far pleasing results.

NAAC contractors also report late oilseed rape and barley harvests have been positive.

According to FWi weather services most of the UK will be dry with some localised showers over the weekend.