Harvest is in full swing in the North and almost wrapped up in the South – and a key feature has been variability in both yields and quality.

See also: Harvest set to finish ahead of schedule at Sussex estate

Norfolk

At Dewing Grain in Cromer, the main bulk of harvest is complete, with just a few growers expecting to finish by the end of the week, says managing director Andrew Dewing.

“The past five days of settled weather allowed farmers to get on and clear crops,” he says.

A key bonus has been the absence of drying charges, which is welcome given the poor grain prices. Proteins have been good across the board, and grain fill and finish are “perfect”.

Yields have been mixed, reflecting land type. “Light land has really struggled, with some barley as low as 3.5t/ha.

“Medium land has been disappointing unless irrigated, while heavy land has thrived, producing big crops,” says Andrew.

Oilseed rape has been the crop of the year, yielding well with oil contents of 45-46%.

However, spring barley yields are about 25% down on average, with higher rejection rates and less malting-quality grain.

Wheat yields are around 10% down. “Everything has come in dry and with good specific weights, so it can go straight into store,” he adds.

“Given the prices, farmers are unlikely to sell quickly and with proteins being so good, it should help reduce the need for imported milling wheat.”

Gloucestershire

Inconsistent yields have created a mixed picture in Gloucestershire, with 80-90% of crops now in the barn, says Jeff Russell at Western Arable.

“Yields are a real mixed bag, ranging from sublime to ridiculous,” he says.

Oilseed rape has been one of the season’s highlights, coming in above the five-year average with higher than usual oil content.

Milling wheat proteins have also been encouraging, typically averaging 12.5-13%, although yields are falling short of expectations.

Inverness

“We’ve been very lucky so far,” says Calum Barker at Highland Grain.

Screenings in the spring barley – predominantly Laureate and Sunny – are significantly higher than average.

“But we’re within the 10% contract limits here. Further east, it’s more than 20% in some areas.

“We weren’t as water scarce throughout the year here – further east it was very dry.”

Yields range widely but are slightly above average at 7.4t/ha.

Nitrogen contents are decent at about 1.4% and moisture contents have been low at under 17%. Specific weights are also good at 65kg/hl pre-drying.

Oilseed rape has been very pleasing, with yields about 4-4.5t/ha and very positive oil contents. “If we’re lucky, harvest will be done by mid-September,” notes Calum.

Yorkshire

Oilseed rape has held up well at High House Farm in Richmond, but winter cereals are significantly below average. Winter barley came in at about 5t/ha, down from the farm’s usual 7.3t/ha.

The 28ha of mostly Graham winter wheat averaged just over 4.9t/ha, compared with a normal 8.7t/ha.

Despite this, farmer Phil Dowson was pleased with the quality.

“Specific weights are in the high 70s for wheat, and around 70kg/hl for barley,” he says.

Oilseed rape – including the clubroot-resistant Chrome – has offered some welcome relief, yielding above average at 4.2t/ha with an oil content of 45%.

About 20ha of spring barley remains to be cut, but was delayed by a heavy storm on 11 August.

The crop is “very short” due to the dry season, but Phil remains cautiously optimistic about its performance.

“Prices have been disappointing. But it’s one of those things; you take it on the chin.