As more farmers got closer to completing this season’s harvest, there were plenty of reports of lower than average yields across the UK today (29 August).

Ben Atkinson hoped to complete harvest this week in Lincolnshire, where most people had already finished.

He still had 202ha (500 acres) of wheat and 32ha (80 acres) of beans to cut, and said wheat yields were about 12% below average. “But the price more than compensates for that.”

In Northern Ireland most of the winter crops were finished, with farmers 30-40% into their spring barley, said Philip Davidson of merchant North Down Grain. Winter barley yields were 15% below a good year, with winter wheat yields 18% down and spring barley also below average, he said.

Harvest was four or five days ahead of usual in Northumberland, where Carl Tuer was cutting winter wheat at 18% moisture today.

“We’ve had a brilliant spell – we’ve cut continuously for 10 days, till midnight most nights,” he said. Wheat and winter barley quality had been good, and he hoped to start on his spring barley this week. 

Over the border in Fife, Farmers Weekly Farmer Focus writer Andrew Peddie started his wheat this week, and expected yields to be slightly down. However, he was pleased with his winter barley and oilseed rape yields, and was looking forward to a fine week’s combining.

And in Warwickshire and Wiltshire David Brightman and Roger Moore both finished harvest over the bank holiday weekend.

Mr Brightman’s recently sown winter oilseed rape was already emerging in Warwickshire amid the slug pellets, while Mr Moore was considering selling some of next year’s crop forward at £210/t for harvest movement.

To read any of these reports in full, or see more from around the UK, visit FWi’s Harvest Highlights 2007.

* If you’ve got a harvest story then call us on 020 8652 4082. You can also get involved on the new FWiSpace forums where you can chat directly with other farmers and share the high and lows of this year’s challenging summer.You can also share your harvest pictures by sending them to us, to make sure they appear on our dedicated Harvest Highlights 2007 Picture Gallery.

If you prefer, we can set you up with your own gallery where you can upload pictures at any time to share them with other farmers.

We are hoping to print a selection of the best harvest pictures submitted each week in Farmers Weekly magazine. Please be aware that for use in the magazine we will need pictures to be taken using the highest quality setting on your camera.