Two combines were steaming through Meurig Raymond’s wheat today (August 23) and he hoped to finish harvest next week if it stayed dry.

“We hadn’t run for over a week and were getting pretty frustrated,” he said. “But we started again yesterday and the forecast is

The NFU deputy president said harvest at Trenewydd Fawr, Haverfordwest, Dyfed was about 50% complete, with 162ha (400 acres) of wheat and 162ha (400 acres) of spring barley still to go.

Yields were about 10% down on average, with Spectrum winter barley yielding a disappointing 7t/ha (2.85t/acre) and oilseed rape making 4t/ha (1.65t/acre).

Gladiator winter wheat averaged 9.3t/ha (3.75t/acre), but the Glasgow cut yesterday reached 9.9t/ha (4t/acre).

“The spring barley is looking extremely good – we’ve done 40ha (100 acres) of Westminster at 7t/ha (2.85t/acre) and it looks like a malting sample to me.”