Yields are very disappointing at Mark Turner’s Needham Hall Farm, Gazeley, Suffolk.

So far he has cut 22ha (54 acres) of Flagon winter barley with a Claas Lexion 560, at a moisture content of 13%.

“The yield was rubbish, at just 4.4t/ha (1.8t/acre) – it just died off due to the drought. Cutting on the 1 July is the earliest I can remember.

“It had a lot of regrowth in the dead spots, so I wanted to get it cut; it will have a lot of screenings.”

Mr Turner was now waiting for spring barley and winter wheat to ripen. “It doesn’t look brilliant – we had three months of no rain from February onwards.”

Crop: Winter barley
Variety: Flagon
Area: 22ha (54 acres)
Yield: 4.4t/ha (1.8t/acre)