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Suffolk barley crop ready to harvest on Monday

David Jones and Oliver Hill 28 June 2018
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© David Jones© David Jones

One Suffolk winter barley crop is set to be cut on Monday in what is likely to be one of first harvests as the current heatwave brings crops rapidly to maturity.

Farm manager Simon Eddell said he was set to start cutting the speciality malting variety Maris Otter next week, some two weeks earlier than usual,  with some concern that the hot weather may hit grain size or specific weight.

“We are looking to go on Monday after the malting barley turned very quickly in the last week,” he told Farmers Weekly.

See also: Drought conditions threaten to shrink crop yields

He has 80ha of Maris Otter to cut, and then another 30ha of the feed variety Orwell about one week later at Rougham Estate, three miles south-east of Bury St Edmunds.

Price premium

Mr Eddell had budgeted for a yield of 6t/ha for the variety which fetches a good price premium from the maltsters, and he would like to think the crop will manage that yield this year despite the hot weather.

“The Otter crop always showed potential but the hot weather may have hit the specific weight and we might see the level of screenings higher,” he added.

Mr Eddell manages 1,100ha of cropping in Roughham include winter barley, winter wheat, spring barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet and rye on a range of soils from blowing sands to medium clays.

Further north on the Suffolk Brecklands, the 4,400ha Euston Estate is also expecting to start combining winter barley next week.

On Twitter, a number of other farmers are itching to make a start as crops begin to bake.

Others could scarcely believe that harvest has come around so fast.

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