UK: Winter barley harvest nearly done with average yields
Winter barley harvest is nearly done, showing average yields and on-target specific weights, while oilseed rape is still coming in slowly, the Farmers Weekly reported on August 2.
Now farmers are waiting for a weather window to get cracking on the winter wheat and spring barley.
Perthshire
East of Scotland Farmers, near Coupar, Angus, has taken in 80% of the expected winter barley so far, at an average of 17.5% moisture.
General manager Robin Barron says: “Specific weights are in the high 60s, which is pleasing; last year we saw similar levels and we thought this year might be lower.”
But yields are not seeing the heights of last year, averaging around 8t/ha.
Some 90% of the malting barley has been within nitrogen and screening specification, averaging 1.7% and 90% retention over a 2.5mm sieve, respectively.
Oilseed rape and spring barley harvest is predicted to start in the week of 7 August, assuming the rain dries up.
North Yorkshire
It’s a similar story at Argrain, near Easingwold, as the wheat gets close to being ripe. Winter barley harvest is almost complete, while oilseed rape is less than halfway through.
“Winter barley yields have been good. It’ll be doing very close to 9t/ha,” says managing director David Padgett.
“The average moisture content is 17%, and Craft malting barley has been around 63-64kg/hl and 1.5-1.6% nitrogen.
“Buyers want nitrogen at maximum 1.8%, so it is within specification,” says David. “But lower retention is what’s causing some to fail.”
Oilseed rape yields are low at 3.5-3.75t/ha, and average moisture content has been 10-12%, so it is in need of drying.
Argrain has seen only one sample of Extase winter milling wheat over the weekend, but it made close to milling grade at 12.8% protein content, 275 Hagberg, and 77.4kg/hl.
Hampshire
Further south, the Hampshire branch of Trinity Grain has received 32,529t of cereal crops out of the 200,000t committed this year, with deliveries starting on 10 July.
“We had a couple of weeks of consistent intake, but generally harvest has been stop-start,” says managing director David Evans.
The current 17,000t of feed barley is averaging 15.4% moisture, 63.8kg/hl specific weight, and screenings of 4.5%.
The 10,000t of oilseed rape has levelled at 8.4% moisture and 44.9% oil content. “Yields are mixed; winter barley has been average, and oilseed rape below average,” says David.
The 3,500t of winter and spring malting barley is averaging 65.8kg/hl specific weight, 1.6% nitrogen and 2.6% screenings.
Cornwall
Weather frustrations continue at Howton Farm near Saltash, where John Moss has cut 33ha of the 53ha of Ambassador winter oilseed rape, averaging 4.3t/ha at 8-10% moisture and 44.5% oil content.
“It wasn’t as good as it looked. I expected more yield,” says John. He has completed his contract farm’s winter barley and his own 30ha of Bolton and Hawking, which averaged 7.5t/ha and 63kg/hl specific weight; some was on light ground so was pinched from the dry weather.
John notes that his customer’s Lightning winter barley yielded well at 8-8.5t/ha.
“First barleys behind potatoes or maize have done exceptionally well this year. There are a lot of 7.5-8.5t/ha crops around,” he says.
He has about 240ha of winter wheat to combine, with his own varieties comprising Insitor, Extase – which has been hit with septoria – and Dawsum.
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