As expected, harvest results show a very mixed picture across the country, with some challenges and positives along the way.

Wiltshire 

Stephen Moore is three-fifths of the way through harvest at Manor Farm, Salisbury. Having completed the oilseed rape, he is massively disappointed with his winter wheat.  

Crusoe yielded 8.6t/ha, compared with last year’s 9.8t/ha, due to the heavy rainfall this year. Although yields are down, the specific weight was surprisingly good, coming in at 78-80kg/hl, while protein was around 13%.   

See also: Sugar beet grower looks to increase nitrogen using biostimulant

The V316 high oleic, low linolenic (HOLL) hybrid oilseed rape yielded 3.7t/ha. 

With the weather forecast better on Friday (9 August), Stephen will turn his attention to cutting the 28ha of Carrington peas and the 141ha of Laureate spring barley, which was drilled in March.  

“It’s been a fairly cheap season for drying for me, but the wheat has just been a big disappointment.”   

Dorset 

It is a similarly mixed picture at North West Farm, Winterborne, where Rebecca Hill’s harvest has been a stop/start affair thanks to rainy weather.  

However, she’s reasonably well through the 466ha harvest, and is hoping for better weather over the coming week to complete the remaining 121ha of spring barley and peas. 

Tardis winter barley averaged 8.6t/ha, with specific weights scraping through at 62kg/hl. 

The oilseed rape, consisting of Campus and Aviron Iron, averaged 4t/ha, a positive increase compared to last year’s 3.5t/ha. Rebecca is also pleased with the quality, with the oil content averaging 44-45%. 

However, winter wheat drilled in the first week of October has been less fortunate, having been blighted by septoria.

“It’s a problem all the growers in the area are facing,” says Rebecca. “Extase yields are averaging 7.5t/ha, but thankfully, the figure is closer to 9.5t/ha for the Champion. 

“I do feel more positive than last year when we had to pay £800/t for fertiliser,” she says. “Wheat is going to be the one that lets the story down – we were expecting an average of 10-11t/ha, but luckily we have other crops doing well and the margins will even out.” 

Hampshire 

Heading east to Whitedale Farm in Hambledon, Tim Sykes has just 44ha of spring barley left to combine. 

“We’re south of Winchester Hill, and our contactors tell us that we are typically four to five days earlier than those north of the hill,” he says. 

He started out with 40ha of Aviron oilseed rape on 10 July, which was drilled in mid-September, a month later than normal. However, it wasn’t affected by cabbage stem flea beetle and yielded 4t/ha. 

Next was his two-row winter barley, Caravelle. Grown for feed, it yielded 8t/ha. 

Growing a total of 118ha of winter wheat – Typhoon, Dawsum and Champion – the latter provided a pleasant surprise.

“Some parts of the 40ha looked good, while other parts looked pretty poor,” he says. “But the good areas compensated for the poorer parts – on average yielding 9t/ha with specific weight in the mid 70s.” 

To date, his Laureate spring barley is averaging 7.5t/ha, but low nitrogen of 1.2% means it has not met malting specification. “But it’s nice-looking grain and very clean.”      

Yorkshire  

Further north, Guy Shelby has faced some dramatic yield losses in the oilseed rape at Benningholme Grange, Beverley.   

From a total of 526ha, he has managed to cut just 32ha of his Tardis winter barley, although the quality is pleasing, with specific weights averaging 68-70kg/hl and moisture 16%.   

Of the 97ha of hybrid oilseed rape that Guy planted, he was left with just 12ha remaining, despite trying to redrill when the first round struggled to establish.  

“We were hit with wet weather when sowing, and it struggled to really take off,” he says. “It was a long, wet winter and then the flea beetle got at it because it continued to be so wet and cold.”  

Guy now has 141ha of feed wheat left to cut, comprising of Dawsum, Graham and Tapestry, and 263ha of Skyway spring barley, and predicts his harvest will go well into September.  

“I’ve had some dark times this year, but I won’t be the only farmer who has found it a mentally challenging year,” says Guy.

“I am very fortunate I have a strong network around me, but there will be men and women in more remote areas who will be really struggling. 

“It has taken its toll on many of us, and I do believe everyone just wants this harvest out of the way, so we can start again.”