There was a power of work done in the cereal fields since late last week and over the weekend. A dull day on Sunday still allowed for harvesting, until the weather broke on Sunday night.

Tillage farmers were glad to be getting stuck into crops after what has been an extremely difficult season. Many were pleasantly surprised with yields.

When crops were being planted at the end of April and early May yield prospects were low and this week farmers look to be generally happy with crop yields.

Spring barley was the main crop to be cut. It takes up about 53% of the cereal area this year. Crops look to be doing well with many still coming in just over or under the 3t/ac mark. There are some higher yielding crops, but also some well under 3t/ac.

Crops were generally yielding from 2.2-3t/ac. Quality is good for many with reports of 80% or more of crops passing for malting barley at specific intakes. However, this was not the case for all. The majority of proteins are on the low side and are meeting criteria.

However, bushel weights are an issue for some. Some of the low bushel weights seem to be linked to variety, but this cannot be said for sure as there are rejections on bushels across varieties and while bushels were very high in early-sown crops they have come down to the low to mid-60s in crops over the weekend.

Some cut backs on disease and nutrition may also be at play and lack of sunshine at grain fill may be another factor.

The majority of spring barley across the country will not be used for malting, but for those who manage to get crops over the line it is a big boost financially with the crop generally delivering €60-70/t over feed barley prices.

The Boortmalt price for malting barley currently stands at €249/t after a €10/t charge is taken off, but some farmers have grain sold ahead at €240/t and €270/t.

Last week saw global grain prices lift somewhat, but they still remain at some of the lowest levels of the year and below levels needed for any significant profit on farms.

Straw yields look to be relatively good on crops cut over the weekend, but the range is six to 10 bales per acre (4X4). As rain broke on Sunday night there were a lot of crops cut which will require work to get them dried and baled.

The weather forecast for the coming week is mixed, but some more cutting may be done between the showers.