Harvest is making slow progress, with the final 10% of crops either not quite fit or hampered by wet weather.

A report by ADAS for HGCA said that combines cut around 100,000ha (250,000 acres) of crops in the week to 14 September – about one third of the remaining area.

“There was good progress in England where conditions were drier, with most crops now harvested, other than small areas of linseed and field beans.

“However there was less progress in Scotland where most of the remaining crops are located.”

In Inverness, Jim Whiteford had finished harvest at Shandwick Mains, Castlecraig Nigg, Tain, with yields generally slightly below last year.

“We had a good two weeks of weather but at the weekend it went back to squally showers.”

Cereal harvest was almost complete in South West Scotland, but farmers need a few dry days to get the last of the crops cut and to start drilling.

Agrovista agronomist Richard Bray said farmers had a few fields of spring barley left to cut and bale, as well as some spring beans.

“The beans have been desiccated and we should combine them later this week if we get a dry spell.”

In Wales, Geoff Thomas had finished harvest at Pantycoch, Letterston, Haverfordwest, but said some farmers were still combining wheat and beans.

“We can’t complain this year – I thought the dry spell was going to do untold damage, and it has knocked the winter barley yields, but the spring barley has more than compensated for it.”

Further south, Troy Stuart only had linseed left to combine at Clyst St Mary, Exeter, Devon, after a frustrating harvest.

“We’ve done about 40ha (100 acres) of linseed so far – on a customer’s farm it yielded 1.2t/ha (0.5t/acre) but it did better on the home farm, at 2.2t/ha (0.9t/acre).”