Archive Article: 2001/08/17
SOUTH
RAIN has put harvest on hold across the south with only odds and ends snatched since last week.
Wheat is ready with considerable amounts of winter barley and some oilseed rape still to clear.
"We have seen nothing this week," says Hampshire Grains Mike Clay. "Everything will be ready as soon as the weather lets us at it."
Wiltshire grains Nick Brown echoes that with intake 2000t behind last year, and 8000t down on 1999. "By now we expect to be seeing all crops," he says.
One grower who has cut wheat is Martin Holmes, from Molash, Kent. Early-drilled Malacca off medium-light soil near Faversham was "satisfactory" at near 10t/ha (4t/acre). But rain stopped work before they could finish the 15ha (37-acre) field and with 400ha (1000 acres) to do it is very much tip of the iceberg.
Nearby Bill Harbour still has 10ha (25 acres) of oilseed rape to clear and Malacca wheat has been ready since last week. "Maybe we should have left the rape, but then we could have lost it all in a storm." Yield, like many others, has disappointed, continuing as reported on FWi at 3t/ha (25cwt/acre).
United Oilseeds Ian Pugh puts oilseed rapes mixed performance down to ground conditions.
"There is a two-way split. Where crops have stood in water through the winter farmers have been disappointed, but it was expected. On lighter, mostly chalk downs farmers have been extremely pleased and yields have often been above average." he says. Little spring barley has been cut but more winter oats were in before the weather broke with Soufflets James Marshall reporting good yields and quality for the crop. But there is considerable winter barley still to be gathered, he adds.
"There could be as much as 40% to cut south of the M4."