UK: Early barley yields look better than last year
Early yields of barley look significantly better than last year, according to Norfolk grain merchants, Eastern Daily Press communicated on July 17.
Matthew Adams, joint managing director of independent merchants, Adams & Howling, said: "What a difference a year makes. We're seeing some good-quality barleys coming from quite light land areas."Last year, the crops were full of second growth and low yields. This year, it is full of high-quality bold grains and high yields. It's looking good, very good at the moment.
After the wettest summer for decades last year, crops on the lighter sandy soils have been able to keep growing.
South Norfolk grain merchant Stephen Howlett, of Grainfarmers at Bressingham, near Diss, said: "Crops haven't died; they are ripening and not dying. We have seen some winter malting barleys which look good."
Mr Adams, who is hoping that a new 5,000-tonne grain store will be completed at the firm's Little Plumstead headquarters ready for the bulk delivery of Maris Otter malting barley next week, has seen a range of feed and malting samples.
On one large Breckland estate near Thetford, the malting variety Flagon yielded just under eight tonnes per hectare, or 3.23 tonnes an acre, while last year, the typical yield range was between five and 5.5 tonnes ha.
Mr Adams said that a Broadland estate near Wroxham had harvested Pearl, which was averaging about 6.7 tonnes ha. "Another feature that we're seeing is low nitrogen levels, with samples ranging about 1.54pc," he added.
Andrew Thurston, who is the retiring farm manager for the Morley Agricultural Foundation, near Wymondham, had started on 30ha (74 acres) of Sequel six-row winter barley at Easton College. It was running at 8.85 tonnes ha and under 14.5pc moisture. "It looks very good," he said.
And on the price front, Mr Adams said Pearl was trading yesterday for about Ј165 per tonne, and spring barley, which is still several weeks from harvest, was selling for between Ј175 and 180 per tonne.
Mr Howlett said that if the weather stayed right, a reasonable harvest was in prospect. "A 25pc yield increase will be fantastic if it happens. Last year was one of the worst, so why shouldn't we have a decent harvest?"
18 July, 2008
