Wheat well underway between showers

Wheat harvest is well underway across most of the country, with combines still cracking on between the showers.

Simon Dann was busy cutting triticale in Tuddenham, Norfolk, yesterday (27 August), and hoped to be back onto wheat today.

“The past three weeks have been trying, to say the least,” he said. “It’s overcast now, but the combing wheels are rolling.”

In Berkshire, Jonathan Holland was just over half way through his wheat, and both yields and quality were proving variable.

Solstice and Alchemy had ranged from below 7.4t/ha (3t/acre) to over 10t/ha (4t/acre), and were averaging about 9.1t/ha (3.7t/acre), he said. “We’re reasonably pleased.”

Further west, Richard Payne had been combining Alchemy winter wheat at 17.6% moisture yesterday near Taunton, Somerset.

But with it costing about £7/t to dry he was considering whether to leave it for a few days in anticipation of better weather.

In Northumberland, Jim Macfarlane had finished his spring barley and rape yesterday, and hoped to start on wheat today.

“We keep snatching bits and pieces,” he said. The Oxbridge spring barley yielded at least 6.2t/ha (2.5t/acre) and would go for malting.

The Zebedee, Robigus and Alchemy winter wheat looked bright and was just ready to cut now, he said.

Meurig Raymond was lifting potatoes in Pembrokeshire today, and expected to be cutting spring barley later on.

“We haven’t rolled since last Friday – we’ve just had low cloud and no sun,” he said. “It’s just totally frustrating.”

The 20ha (50 acres) of Westminster cur so far had yielded over 7.4t/ha (3t/acre) and the remaining 223ha (550 acres) was just coming fit.

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