Harvest was all but completed across the south-west, with milling wheat quality very variable, according to merchant Wessex Grain.

Yields were slightly below normal at 6.2-8.6t/ha (2.5-3.5t/acre), said trader Ed Britton “Milling wheat quality is very variable, but a lot of it is usable.” Protein contents ranged from 11.5% to 12.5%, with Hagbergs at 200-210 and bushel weights around 74kg/hl.

Malting barley quality was also reasonable, said trader Robert Leachman. Winter barleys had a good grain size but spring barleys had lower than usual bushel weights at 60-63kg/hl. Nitrogens were generally usable, he added.

Oat yields were also down due to low bushel weights of just 40-50kg/hl. “The millers have quickly assessed the crop and changed their standard of intake, so there is a pricing scale dependent on the quality,” said Mr Leachman.

“But all in all, considering the weather patterns we’ve had the crops have come through reasonably well.”

• Crop: Winter wheat
• Yield: 6.2-8.6t/ha (2.5-3.5t/acre)
• Quality: 11.5-12.5% protein, 200-210 Hagberg, 74kg/hl specific weight