UK: Harvest 2014 now well underway across the UK

Harvest 2014 is now well underway across the UK. Following the first reports of cutting at the beginning of the month combining progress and crop quality has been variable, Farmers Guardian reported on July 24.

Many growers have made good progress on winter barley crops and most are making a start on oilseed rape. Most growers Farmers Guardian contacted this week hoped to be into wheat within the next 10 days, although some milling wheat had been cut in East Anglia to meet early delivery contracts.

Bedfordshire grower Steven Northern has finished his 124 hectares (306 acres) of oilseed rape and is now waiting for his wheat to ripen.

Crops have been coming in dry at 6-7 per cent moisture content and yielding 3.95 t/ha (1.6 t/acre), which Mr Northern predicted to be roughly 10 per cent above his five-year farm average.

Mr Northern said locally said a ‘good chunk’ of OSR had been cut but 16mm of rain over the weekend had stopped combines.

Further north in south Lincolnshire, Chris Wray has cut some 81 ha (200 acres) of OSR which is yielding about 4.32 t/ha (1.75 t/acre).

Mr Wray said: “This year OSR seems to be yielding well, generally farmers in the area are reporting better yields too.”

Due to the harsh weather forecast for last weekend, Mr Wray said he pushed the last 20.2 ha (50 acres) of OSR. Although the straw still appeared to be green, the grain was more than ready and was coming in at just 5 per cent moisture.

He said: “If I had waited for the straw it would have been a long time before it was cut.”

Further west near Knutsford, Cheshire grower Richard Reeves has combined three quarters of his winter barley. After cutting 61 ha (150 acres) of Hyvido Volume, Mr Reeves has now moved onto another variety.

He is disappointed with his yields of 7.41 t/ha (3 t/acre) which he said was 10 per cent down on his farm average.

He said: “Before we started cutting, the crop looked promising so I was quite surprised.

“Quality generally is on the poor side, with low bushel weights of 60-62 kg/hl.”

Although the crop was cut dry, Mr Reeves is running the sample through the dryer in the hope of improving the bushel weight through cleaning.

Field conditions at the beginning of the week were wet, but he hoped to be cutting oilseed rape by the end of this week.

NFU combinable crops vice-chairman Richard Lockhard who farms near Tamworth is yet to start, as is Gloucestershire grower James Cox and NFU combinable crops chairman Mike Hambly.

Mr Hambly and Mr Lockhard hope to start their winter barley by the end of this week, after rain last weekend kept the combines in the shed.

25 July, 2014