Send us your views on harvest progress/prospects: Karen.Willmer@rbi.co.uk

GROWERS ACROSS the country are worried about damage to crops after a day of rain and strong winds. Reports today (Aug 24) suggest many in the north and east – where harvest is less advanced – fear a repeat of the wet conditions last year.

Lincolnshire farmer John Ulyatt has not cut any wheat since Thursday (Aug 18) as moisture levels are too high. With just over 80ha left to cut, he is expecting Hagbergs and bushel weights to be hit by the latest spell of rain.

David Hinchcliffe in Yorkshire has 90ha of wheat left to cut, from a total 300ha and is concerned that he has to dry too much of the crop. “The price of diesel makes drying prohibitive for feed wheat.”

Rain has meant harvest progress is “awful” for Terry Godbold on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, having only cut a quarter of his 160ha of wheat. Quality and yields have been good up until now, but he said rain will affect bushel weights and ground conditions will deteriorate soon.

Herefordshire farmer Philip Gorringe is half way through wheat. Yields have been very varied, bushel weights have not been particularly high and he said a small amount of Glasgow is laid in the field.

But he said the highlight of this harvest has been 22ha of Saffron winter barley yielding an outstanding 9.4t/ha with very low screenings.

See FWi’s Harvest Highlights section for the regional reports in full and more from around the country, updated every day.