Irish growers have made good progress with the harvest over the past week. Winter barley is now finished, winter wheat and winter oats are ongoing, while spring barley is under way.
British farmers have also been making good harvest progress over the past week. An estimated 1.7M ha of combinable crops have been harvested so far on the island.
Winter barley and winter oilseed rape (WOSR) is close to finishing in most southern regions, while it is still ongoing in northern areas.
Most regions across the east and south have also begun harvesting winter wheat, while good progress has also been made in all areas with winter oats.
The AHDB recently published its updated harvest progress figures for Britain:
Wheat – 47% complete. National yield estimated at 7.3t to 7.8t/ha.Winter barley – 98% complete. National yield estimated at 6.3t to 6.6t/ha.Spring barley – 12% complete.Oats – 14% complete.WOSR – 89% complete. National yield estimated at 2.6t to 3.0t/hasYields
The overall picture on yields in Britain is that they are well below 2019’s high yields, but also below the long-term average.
Yields are proving to be highly variable, with bare patches and thin areas affecting many crops, resulting in reduced average yields.
Early wheat yields, based on early maturing varieties from the south, are averaging between 7.3t and 7.8t/ha. The five-year average is 8.4t/ha, with yields typically 7% to 13% below average on these early harvested crops.
Current estimated average yields for winter barley range from 6.3t to 6.6t/ha, remaining below the five-year average of 7.1t/ha.
Early spring malting barley yields are below average. Current yield estimates for winter oilseed rape are between 2.6t and 3.0t/ha and continue to be below the five-year average of 3.5t/ha
Secondary tillers
The unevenness of ripening is proving a concern for many, with a lot of crops producing secondary tillers. The grain in these tillers are still immature, while the original main stem is ripe and ready to cut.
This has required some farmers to spray off patches to ensure they are ready for harvest at the same time as the rest of the field.
Straw
Baling of straw in Britain is ongoing, with favourable baling conditions across much of England.
A high proportion of wheat and barley fields have been baled to date, with the exception of some headlands where there is a lot of green material.
The hot and dry weather conditions have enabled bales to be efficiently stacked and removed from fields where needed.
Winter wheat straw yields are variable and require a longer drying time for secondary tillers to mature before baling where no pre-harvest treatment was applied.
Water stress in May and the high harvesting temperatures contributed to lower yields and brittle straw.
Read more
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Harvest moves on as wheat and spring barley commence
Irish growers have made good progress with the harvest over the past week. Winter barley is now finished, winter wheat and winter oats are ongoing, while spring barley is under way.
British farmers have also been making good harvest progress over the past week. An estimated 1.7M ha of combinable crops have been harvested so far on the island.
Winter barley and winter oilseed rape (WOSR) is close to finishing in most southern regions, while it is still ongoing in northern areas.
Most regions across the east and south have also begun harvesting winter wheat, while good progress has also been made in all areas with winter oats.
The AHDB recently published its updated harvest progress figures for Britain:
Wheat – 47% complete. National yield estimated at 7.3t to 7.8t/ha.Winter barley – 98% complete. National yield estimated at 6.3t to 6.6t/ha.Spring barley – 12% complete.Oats – 14% complete.WOSR – 89% complete. National yield estimated at 2.6t to 3.0t/hasYields
The overall picture on yields in Britain is that they are well below 2019’s high yields, but also below the long-term average.
Yields are proving to be highly variable, with bare patches and thin areas affecting many crops, resulting in reduced average yields.
Early wheat yields, based on early maturing varieties from the south, are averaging between 7.3t and 7.8t/ha. The five-year average is 8.4t/ha, with yields typically 7% to 13% below average on these early harvested crops.
Current estimated average yields for winter barley range from 6.3t to 6.6t/ha, remaining below the five-year average of 7.1t/ha.
Early spring malting barley yields are below average. Current yield estimates for winter oilseed rape are between 2.6t and 3.0t/ha and continue to be below the five-year average of 3.5t/ha
Secondary tillers
The unevenness of ripening is proving a concern for many, with a lot of crops producing secondary tillers. The grain in these tillers are still immature, while the original main stem is ripe and ready to cut.
This has required some farmers to spray off patches to ensure they are ready for harvest at the same time as the rest of the field.
Straw
Baling of straw in Britain is ongoing, with favourable baling conditions across much of England.
A high proportion of wheat and barley fields have been baled to date, with the exception of some headlands where there is a lot of green material.
The hot and dry weather conditions have enabled bales to be efficiently stacked and removed from fields where needed.
Winter wheat straw yields are variable and require a longer drying time for secondary tillers to mature before baling where no pre-harvest treatment was applied.
Water stress in May and the high harvesting temperatures contributed to lower yields and brittle straw.
Read more
Massive storm flattens millions of acres of corn in the US
Harvest moves on as wheat and spring barley commence
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