UK: UK winter barley acreage down more than 6% this year

The acreage of English winter barley was down more than six per cent this year, according to government statistics, FarmingUK reported on August 21.

Provisional arable crop figures released by Defra showed that the area of winter barley in England fell by 6.2 per cent between 2017 and 2018, although the department said yields were holding up well.

It said yield reports were "variable, particularly across regions, but early indications suggest winter barley yields are above the five-year average."

ADAS, in a report for AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds, reported both yield and quality were holding up.

"The current GB yield estimate for winter barley is 6.8-7.0t/ha (adjusted to 14.5% moisture), which is in line with the GB five year average of 6.9t/ha," said ADAS in its third harvest report, with the harvest of winter barley 99 per cent complete.

"The majority of malting varieties are meeting specification, and quality overall is good."

The Defra figures are the first results from the 2018 June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture. Provisional estimates are included for the main cereal and oilseed areas on commercial holdings on June 1, 2018.

The ADAS report is from the week ending August 7. It uses data supplied by regional reporters - mostly independent agronomists. ADAS said the warm temperatures and lack of subsequent rainfall had meant that harvesting had been able to progress without any disruption.

"As a result, overall progress in harvest 2018 remains ahead of this point over the last five years, including the early harvest of 2014, with just over half of the GB cereal and oilseed area harvested to date.

"Generally, grain quality has been good, with high protein levels. However, low rainfall and high temperatures have meant that many cereal crops are being harvested at 12 to 13 per cent moisture.

"This can provide challenges for end users, with a need to add moisture before the grain is used. After a challenging growing season, yields are on par with or slightly below the GB five-year average."

ADAS said there was still a great deal of uncertainty about winter wheat yields, with the harvest 60 per cent complete and large amounts of variability between heavy and light land, but early indications were that they were below the five-year average.

The Defra report indicated that the acreage planted with wheat was down by 0.6 per cent in England this year to 1.64 million hectares.

There was a fall in all English regions except the North East, where the amount of wheat planted was up by 3.7 per cent.

The Eastern region and the East Midlands were together growing almost half of the wheat in the country, accounting for 28 per cent and 19 per cent of the total area respectively.

The total area planted with barley decreased by 3.1 per cent, from 842,000 hectares in 2017 to 816,000 hectares in 2018, according to Defra.

Winter barley fell by 6.2 per cent to 338,000 hectares, whilst spring barley fell by 0.8 per cent to 478,000 hectares.

The area of oats in England increased from 121,000 hectares in 2017 to 137,000 hectares in 2018. This was an increase of 13 per cent and the second highest area of oats planted over the past 30 years.

The total area of oilseed rape rose for the first time since 2012, increasing by 7.9 per cent from 523,000 hectares in 2017 to 564,000 hectares in 2018.

This was due to an 8.1 per cent increase in the area of winter oilseed rape, which was 556,000 hectares and accounted for 99 per cent of the total oilseed area.

Spring oilseed rape decreased between 2017 and 2018, falling by 5.5 per cent. At just under 8,000 hectares, this accounts for only one per cent of the total oilseed rape area. It is the second smallest area of spring oilseed planted for the last 20 years.

Defra said that 96 per cent of winter barley and 80 per cent of winter oilseed rape had been harvested by July 31.

"Both harvests are ahead of the five-year average. Yield reports for both are variable, particularly across regions, but early indications suggest winter barley yields are above the five-year average."

ADAS said the spring barley harvest had just got under way at the time of its report.

"Compared to previous years, 2018 harvest progress is currently slightly behind this point in 2014, although ahead of other harvests over the last five years.

"Spring barley was planted in two main planting windows in 2018, which means that spring barley crops vary greatly in their maturity, meaning that not all crops will be ready for an early harvest.

"As of WE 07/08, just under 40 per cent of the spring barley area had been harvested in the South West and Eastern region. Good progress had also been made in the South East and West Midlands, with just under 35 per cent harvested.

"A start to harvest was also made in Yorkshire, the East Midlands and parts of the North West. The main harvest has yet to start in Wales, Scotland and the North East, with just the occasional field cut there."

On results so far, ADAS said: "Initial yields are based on early harvested (and therefore often early planted) crops from southern and central England, and will therefore be subject to change as the later planted and more northern crops ripen for harvest.

"In the South East and South West yields have been close to average, whilst in the Eastern region yields are about five per cent down. Early harvested crops from the Midlands have also shown slightly below average yields.

"The current yield estimate for spring barley based predominantly on these locations is 5.3-5.7t/ha, compared to a GB five-year average yield of 5.8 t/ha."

ADAS said early indications suggested that yields would be slightly below average for winter oilseed rape.

"Yields are highly variable with light land yields continuing to drop as low as 1.5-2.0 t/ha, whilst on heavier land the yields continue to range from 3.5-5.0 t/ha.

"Cooler coastal areas continue to yield more consistently across the soil types than the warmer inland areas. Reports point to considerable variation of up to 3.5t/ha within regions."

On quality, ADAS said that high temperatures and low moisture had caused much of the oilseed rape area to ripen rapidly, leading to reports of red or brown seed.

22 August, 2018