Wet weather delays spring barley harvest

Six weeks into the harvest season and variable weather, including some heavy rain, sees standing crops remaining in Westcountry fields as September arrives.

Rain shortened harvesting days to three or four in parts of the region, limiting working time to five or six hours in many cases.

But despite the rain causing disruptions in the South West, overall harvest progress is ahead of the five-year average for all crops, according to ADAS, with cereal yields continuing to improve, and quality maintained.

There are still considerable areas of spring crops to be machined, with barley bushel weights around the 65 to 67 mark, but quality is tending to be better than the winter barley. The estimated average yield is between 5.1 and 5.3 tonnes per hectare.

Meanwhile oats harvesting is completed, with yields averaging around the six tonnes per hectare figure – though differing widely between different areas and conditions. Soil type, moisture availability and the level of black-grass control have all had an influence on yields.

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