Harvest continues to make good progress across the country, despite occasional showers in some areas.

In Essex, Tim Cooper started combining winter wheat at Spring Farm, Wix, yesterday (28 July), with mixed results.

“It’s not too exciting, but it’s not disastrous either. However, we’ve got worse to come,” he said.

The 8ha (20 acres) of Solstice came off at 7t/ha (2.8t/acre) at 16% moisture.

Early samples of milling wheat were showing good quality, with high specific weights and good proteins, according to Gleadell Agriculture.

“It is early days and too soon to make any big statements, but so far so good, and yields are not as bad as feared,” said managing director David Sheppard.

Many farmers were reporting record oilseed rape yields, with about 35% of the UK crop now harvested.

Price risk consultant Offre & Demande Agricole (ODA) said its British clients’ crops were better than anticipated, with average rapeseed yields 3.7% higher than last year.

But in Lincolnshire, Chris Hewis’s yields at The Grange, Habrough, came in slightly below his five-year average.

Expower, which had already been sold and moved, averaged 4.3t/ha (1.76t/acre), with Excalibur likely to have done the same, he said. “It’s all been cut below 9% moisture, which was pleasing.”

John Moss was similarly pleased in Cornwall, where he had had a fantastic start to harvest at Howton Farm, Saltash, and on nearby contracted farms.

“We managed to get some Maris Otter in before the rain, which yielded a good average and made the malting grade.”

Winter barley was better than expected, and oilseed rape yields had been excellent, he said. “I’ve never known such good yields of rapeseed.”

European harvest should resume this weekend, after rain caused further delays this week, according to analyst Agritel.

“Rapeseed harvests should soon reach an end. They confirm an increase in yields compared to expectations, and quality is satisfactory.”

As farmers resumed wheat harvest they would be able to assess the impact of the rain on quality, said it’s latest report.