Winter barley and oilseed rape finished, wheat to start next week: Goole grower Tom Bayston’s harvest is pausing briefly.

“It is certainly early to have finished the oilseed rape and the wheat will be early as well. We’ll be into that next week, but I think it’s going to be disappointing – some of it is dead on its feet.”

Both oilseed rape and barley yields had been pleasing, he said. Seventy-eight acres (31ha) of Carat feed barley had yielded 2.8-3.1t/acre (7.0-7.75t/ha), with bushel weights of 71kg/hl, while six acres (2.4ha) of Saffron, grown for seed, had “pleased” at 3.25t/acre (8.1t/ha).

“The disappointing thing to see is the £10/t discount on barley prices [compared with wheat].”

But barley straw was at a premium in the area with areas continuing to decline. “I’ve sold ours in the swath for £20/acre – that’s a third of a tonne of grain.”

Forty-five hectares (112 acres) of swathed Lioness oilseed rape had done well – yielding 1.6-1.8t/acre (4.0-4.5t/ha). “That’s pretty good – the light land was especially pleasing.”

Mr Bayston had also sold a 22 acre (8.8ha) field of oilseed rape straw for baling. “[The contractor] got 122 midi-sized bales at £2/bale from the field, which I think are going for composting.”

Crop: Winter barley
Variety: Carat
Yield: 7.0-7.75t/ha
Area: 31ha
Quality: 71kg/hl bushel weight

Crop: Winter barley
Variety: Saffron
Yield: 8.1t/ha
Area: 2.4ha
Quality: 69kg/hl

Crop: Oilseed rape
Variety: Lioness
Yield: 4.0-4.5t/ha
Area: 45ha