He started harvesting Pearl barley on Tuesday (July 13) and hopes to get underway again on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Clay described the first batch of his barley as “nothing spectacular” but also added it was too early on in the season to tell.

The first batch came with 18% moisture content, 3% to 4% screenings and specific weight of 69 kg/hl.

The nitrogen content was up to 1.75-1.80%

Mr Clay was worried that if the nitrogen content went above 1.75% then his barley may not be used for malting.

He hopes that the nitrogen percentage will decrease in the next coming days, so he may get the higher premiums.