Stop-start harvest near Darlington


3 August 2001



Stop-start harvest near Darlington

“HARVEST is a stop-start affair, because crops are ripening at different times,” says Anthony Hornshaw, farm manager of Croft Farms near Darlington.

Yields are below average. 24ha (60acres) of Regina winter barley have yielded 7.4t/ha (3t/acre), which is below the expected 8t/ha (3.25t/acre). “Bearing in mind the season this is not too bad. The later barley will be disappointing.”

The crop was combined between 14-17% moisture and some of the crop has had to be dried.

“Oilseed rape has been thoroughly disappointing.” 49ha (120 acres) of Escort and Apex have yielded 2.5t/ha (1t/acre), which is below the expected 3.7t/ha (1.5t/acre).

The soil is heavy loam. “We ended up drilling for 9 months of the year.” The last spring barley was drilled in May. He says the early spring barley should be fit in twenty days.

He is concerned for the wheat. “It has turned uncomfortably quickly in the recent dry conditions, which cannot be good.”


Click here to return to Harvest Highlights front page

Click the button below to return to FWi News headlines

See more