Harvest 2018 has begun in many parts of the country, with some growers in earlier regions nearing the end of their winter barley harvest. However, for many more, this week marks the start of their harvesting campaign. Combines are active in many southern counties such as Wexford, Cork, Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny and Kildare, as well as in Dublin, Meath and Louth.

Hot weather over the past number of weeks has accelerated crop ripening. Most areas have reported starting their harvest a week to 10 days early. Winter crops in other areas are still a while away from being fit to harvest. For example, growers in the northwest are seven to 10 days away from the start.

After a year of great potential, the winter barley crops harvested appear to be falling short of expectations, largely due to the hot and dry conditions in recent months. In addition to winter barley, the first of the winter oats has also been harvested, although no harvest data was available at the time of publishing this article.

Winter barley

Grain samples are mixed. Where winter barley ripened prematurely due to warm weather, high levels of screenings resulted from the poor grain fill. Screening levels of 20% to 40% have been reported on some of the earliest harvested crops. However, reports of grain quality have improved over the past number of days as the quality of crops being harvested improves.

Yields: Reports from growers and from weighbridges suggest that average barley yields are ranging from 3.2t to 3.6t/ac, but these range from 1.8t to over 4t/ac.

Specific weights: Specific weights are also variable. Earlier crops were reported to be as low as 55KPH. However, as the harvest progresses, specific weights are improving, with 62 to 68KPH now commonly reported. Specific weights tend to be higher in dry years such as this.

Moisture: On average, grain moistures are reported as low. Moistures as low as 10.4% have been reported, and as high as 20%. However, averages remain close to 15% to 16%.

Grain temperature: Reports suggest that grain which is being harvested in high temperatures is giving rise to concerns of grain heating when in piles. Heating in a pile could lead to sweating and quality issues. Grain should be allowed to cool before storage. Heated grain can also give false moisture readings.

Many growers have reported good straw yields from winter barley. As the weather accelerated grain ripening this year, it was common to have ripe grain on green straw.

Straw needs to be left in the swards for a number of days to dry before baling. As the weather remains settled, growers can afford to do this. The straw from early harvested crops appears to be a bleached white colour due to high sunshine levels.

Prices are mixed, ranging from €18 to €30 for a 4x4 round bale from the field. Demand is reported as very strong.

Each week, we will carry information from growers who provide us with updates of their harvest reports, as well as information from our field visits. This information is collated to produce the harvest summary table which provides the range of values and an indicative average.

Kieran Murphy

Barrow House, Athy, Co Kildare

Pictured is Kieran Murphy harvesting Infinity winter barley last Thursday. The crop was grown on very dry ground and ripened very fast as a result of the hot dry weather.

“Crops were looking brilliant all year until a few weeks ago when the drought got it. The drought surely took three quarters of a tonne out of the crop,” explains Kieran.

Kieran’s 2018 harvest started on 4 July, 11 days earlier than 2017. His better-looking crops will be harvested this week.

Olwyn Owens

Grangenolvin, Co Kildare

Olwyn started her winter barley harvest on Monday 2 July, but had to stop due to high grain temperatures.

“This was one of the earliest starts to the harvest in a long time; it’s around a week earlier than normal,” explains Owlyn.

Pictured is Owlyn harvesting her Cassia winter barley last Friday, with her son Owen Dowling. Yields are reported as reasonable, as are straw yields. Bushels are reported as very good. Straw is left for two to three days before baling.

Pat McGuinness

Ardee, Co Louth

The harvest began last week on the McGuinness farm in Ardee, Co Louth, as straw breakdown in hybrid winter barley was becoming a concern.

“The grain was just about there, but the straw was beginning to break down, so we couldn’t wait,” explains Pat, who farms alongside his brother Tony and nephew John.

Pictured is Peter McGuinness harvesting Belfry winter barley last Friday. Yields were reported as reasonable, but straw yields were reported as good. Straw was fresh at the time of harvest and was left for a number of days before baling.

Denis and John Crowley

Carrigoon, Mallow, Co Cork

Denis and John Crowley farm in Carrigoon, Mallow, alongside their father Denis. Last week, they began harvesting winter barley. Farming on relatively early ground, the settled weather has allowed significant progress to be made with the winter barley harvest. Winter barley will be finished within the next number of days.

Yields are reported as good considering, the challenging weather experienced in that area over the season.

Pictured is Crowley’s New Holland combine harvesting barley alongside contractor Tom Doherty with his Claas combine.

Nicholas Butterly

Stabannon, Ardee, Co Louth

Pictured is Nicholas Butterly, who farms in Ardee, Co Louth, harvesting Carneval winter barley on 4 July in sunshine. Moistures were reported as good and KPH was reported as high.

Throughout harvest 2018, the Irish Farmers Journal will bring you weekly reports detailing the progress of the harvest so far. We’ll be on the road visiting growers in the fields over the next eight weeks to get on-the-ground updates of the harvest progress.

However, be sure to send us in your harvest updates and help us stay up to date with the progress of your harvest as it happens. Send us your reports to srobb@farmersjournal.ie or tweet us at @FJTillage.

Also be sure to take part in our Harvest 18 photo competition. Send your best harvest photos to picdesk@farmersjournal.ie or tweet @IFJ_picturedesk using the hashtag #Harvest18. A prize will be given for the best photo sent into us over the harvest season.