“There‘s the odd bit on the large estates but it will all be finished by the weekend (Sept 11/12).”

Quality has been sporadic due to very localised showers, he reported.

“I think it‘s fair to say it‘s a really mixed bag. There is just no pattern to it this year.”

Some of the wheat harvested after the rain still managed to retain hagbergs but the majority of the quality has been washed away.

Yields have remained promising, but with the high cost of drying and the low cost of feed wheat, it has proven to be an expensive year, he added.

Mr Hoyle noticed that soft wheats, in particular group 3 wheats, lost their hagbergs far quicker than some of the group 1 varieties.

There has also been some sprouting in the later wheat and evidence of Fusarium, although not enough to have an effect on quality, he said.

Spring barley has been a mixed big with fairly good yields but variable nitrogen contents.