Farmer Focus writer Richard Ward at Home Farm, on the Gloucestershire/ Oxfordshire border, finished harvest a week ago yesterday (8 August).

“It has been a marvellous year with good yields and good quality. Alchemy in particular has been fantastic.”

He said Alchemy, Robigus and Sokrates all did very well with 140ha (350ac) yielding in excess of 10t/ha (4t/ac) which was better than average.

Quality was no problem and he said they seemed to do particularly well in dry years.

“Everything performed well, apart from the peas which only yielded 2.5t/ha (1t/ac). But all the winter crops have done very well this year.”

Next year he planned to concentrate mainly on Alchemy with some Robigus and possibly some Sokrates. He also planned to focus upon Saffron barley due to its success this year. Most of his crops were grown for seed.

• Crop: Winter wheat
• Variety: Alchemy, Robigus, Sokrates
• Area: 140ha
• Yield: 10t/ha