Agrovista’s Malcom Perry said harvest had been slow this year in the Suffolk and Norfolk area.

Over 70% of oilseed rape has been cut, with yields “all over the place” at 3.75 to 4.75t/ha. He said: “This reflects the establishment problems of last autumn.”

The quality of the oilseed rape was good, with a good seed size, and he hoped the results could be better on the remaining fields.

But he reported farmers were having problems with getting the moisture down to 9%. “Some were harvesting just to get it cut before the rain comes.”

Winter barley harvest was 90% complete, with yields looking very good, averaging 7.5t/ha. He said there had been some extremely high yields, and quality was generally good.

The lowest nitrogen level he reported was at 1.4% and he had also seen some very high levels, but he expected most of the barley to easily make malting quality.

Mr Perry was optimistic about wheat harvest this year, but with a small concern for protein levels. “The wheat looks good at the moment.”

He was optimistic about a good harvest this year, but just wanted the prices to increase now.