Relieved to finish near Peterhead
Nick Davidson has finished harvest at Clola Farms, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, but says there is a fair bit still to cut in the area.
“We finished on Thursday (22 September) and it’s been one of the most difficult harvests I can ever remember; it’s been awful.”
Mr Davidson started cutting wheat at 31% moisture and finished last week at 30% moisture. “The gas bills have been coming in thick and fast.
“But on the upside, yields and prices have been pretty good.”
Concerto and Oxbridge spring barley averaged 6.7t/ha (2.7t/acre) and 6.3t/ha (2.55t/acre), respectively, and all went for malting. “At £200/t I’m pretty happy with that.”
Riband winter wheat did very well, at over 10t/ha (4t/acre) dry weight. “Quality was amazingly good – I was very concerned, but it’s held up remarkably well.”
Volume winter barley averaged well over 8.6t/ha (3.5t/acre), but bushelweights were very poor, at 62kg/hl. “It just didn’t thrash properly.”
But oilseed rape was the crop of the year, with Cracker averaging 4.4t/ha (1.8t/acre). “If I can get 4t/ha (1.6t/acre) I’m happy.”
Mr Davidson was busy drilling now, and said conditions were excellent following almost six dry days in a row.
“Anything that’s been ploughed recently has dried up very well. Early drilled oilseed rape has had some slug damage, but our first barleys are already through the ground and looking well.”
Farmers still had a bit left to cut in the area, with quite a lot of spring barley left further north.
“But these big combines will have cut a lot in the last six days, and if the forecast for a good week of weather this week is correct, there won’t be much left in Scotland by the weekend.”
