IN GERMANY, about 20% of winter wheat is still to be harvested, with only about 5% cut in the past week. Ongoing heavy rain has damaged rye, spring barley and wheat quality.

Strategie Grains reports wheat yields about 10% lower than last year’s record 8.2t/ha. Total wheat production is expected to reach 22.5m tonnes (25.4m tonnes in 2004).

Harvest in Sweden is progressing, although there are mixed reports on quality. Some regions report wet weather and quality concerns, while in the south good quality has been seen so far for all crops.

Wheat samples have had good protein levels and Hagbergs, while malting barley has good screenings and nitrogen contents. Yields are so far above the five-year average.

About 85% of wheat has been cut in Denmark, with good harvest weather and little rain interruption. Yields are close to last year’s levels of 4.8t/ha. Wheat quality is good so far, but specific weights are reportedly varying.

Despite heavy rains and flooding which destroyed over 7000t of wheat in silos, and 30,000ha of crops in the field, Bulgaria has harvested 3.3m tonnes of wheat, with 98% of the area cut. This is lower than last year’s record crop of 3.9m tonnes.

According to the Czech Ministry of Agriculture, winter barley harvest is almost complete, and 73% of spring barley now cut. About two-thirds of winter wheat has been harvested. Winter barley yields are unchanged, but spring barley yields are revised down 4.59t/ha. Wheat yields are higher than last month’s estimate at 5.32t/ha.