Wheat quality looking doubtful

16 August 2001



Wheat quality looking doubtful

TOM HIPWELL has started combining second crop Malacca wheat, at Little Gransden near St Neots in Cambridgeshire. The farm has clay soil.

Starting on Tuesday (14 August), it is yielding about 8t/ha (3.25t/acre), which is below the farm average of 8.6t/ha (3.5t/acre). “It looks quite shrivelled and has a low bushel weight. It got killed off during the dry spell.” They started combining at 18.5% and it has fallen to 13.5%.

He expects yields to be better when they move onto first wheat Consort and Claire. There are 160ha (400 acres) of wheat on the farm. He is worried about quality. “We missed a thunderstorm last night. But we dont need any more rain.”

Regina winter barley yield, combined before the wet spell, was up to the farm average yield of 7.4t/ha (3t/acre).

Oilseed rape was below average. Most was Apex and averaged 3t/ha (1.25t/acre). The farm average is 3.7t/ha (1.5t/acre), although one field of fortress yielded 4.3t/acre (1.75t/acre).

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