UK Harvest Progress

ADAS report that the UK wheat crop is now 80% harvested, with cutting being just about finished in the south and east after a week of largely favourable weather for the southern softies.

For us hardened northern and western types things haven't gone quite so swimmingly, in fact swimming is what most of us have been doing for a large part of the past week. Apart from walking the whippet, checking on the pigeons and eating tripe, there hasn't been a huge amount of activity in the grim north.

Overall it seems that yields are lower and quality higher than 2008, yields vary quite widely but are averaging around 7.8MT/ha, say ADAS.

The winter barley harvest is now wrapped up apart from the odd Scottish and North Eastern field, they say. As with wheat yields are seen lower than last season at around 6.3MT/ha, although again wide variations are around. Quality is good.

Around half this season's barley crop is in, 70% in England and Wales, down to 20% in Scotland. Here yields are seen slightly better than average at 5.4MT/ha, again quality is good.

The winter OSR harvest is finished apart from isolated areas of Scotland, with yields above average at 3.3MT/ha. Spring OSR harvesting is just about underway, they conclude.