Farmers are combining in some parts of the country again today (22 July), and hopes are high for a more settled week ahead.

In Gloucestershire, Joe Edwards was combining oilseed rape today at Boddington Estates, Tewkesbury.

“The rain has gone all around us, but we’re in a bit of a rain shadow here and have missed it, so I’ve been combining for the past couple of days,” he said.

“We’re more than halfway through our oilseed rape now and I’m really pleased with it.”

In Hampshire, Tim Sykes also hoped to be combining later at Denmead Farm, Waterlooville, after a week of being rained off.

“We cut 21ha (53 acres) of Cabernet last Friday, which did very well indeed, for a variety that’s supposed to be finished and unreliable. It looked fantastic throughout, and yielded 4.7t/ha (1.9t/acre).”

Masstock agronomist David Neale believed oilseed rape was going to be the crop of the year this harvest, with excellent yields already recorded.

“Even in the droughty areas the rape has performed better than I would have thought, at 3.3-3.5t/ha (1.3-1.4t/acre) in the eastern counties. If that’s the worst, then it’s pretty good.

“Without question, a lot of the hybrids are going to give the best results. I’m very optimistic, provided we get some fine weather.”

The Met Office was forecasting a better weekend, with more settled weather to follow next week.

As a result, Gerald Godfrey was cutting grass silage today at Great Common Farm, Beccles, Suffolk, leaving his oilseed rape to cut over the weekend.

So far, the Astrid, cut at between 9.2% and 11% moisture, had yielded a pleasing 4.7t/ha (1.9t/acre).

Jonathan Lane, trading manager at Gleadell Agriculture, also maintained that rape yields so far were very good.

“We have subsequently revised our crop estimates back up to 2.5m tonnes, giving us a significant exportable surplus.”

But farmers had cut just 2% of the rapeseed area by Thursday (21 July), said the HGCA. And winter barley harvest was about 5% complete, with yields ranging from 4t/ha to 9.8t/ha (1.6-4t/acre).

“Yields are variable and unlikely to be representative of the national crop, given that many of the earliest crops are on lighter land in the regions most affected by the dry spring.”