Harvest under way

13 July 2001

Harvest under way

THE 2001 combinable crop harvest got under way on Mersea Island in Essex on Monday evening (July 9) as a 2ha (5-acre) field of industrial oilseed rape, grown on contract for Kings Seeds, was combined by Bill Jowers.

"It was coming off at 10% moisture," he said. "If wed had a good forecast Id have held off a day or two, but it was worth getting it in and drying it before the rain came."

Yield of the swathed crop is "not too bad", he reports, at about 3t/ha (1.25t/acre) and he found few green seeds in the trailer as it was coming off. &#42

Although on fairly heavy land, he is usually one of the earliest in the area to start harvest.