A cool and rainy summer has again delayed the UK grain and oilseed harvest this year. While wheat yields are generally above last year’s level, proteins are generally low across the range of samples.
Harvest Weather - During the first 7 weeks of harvest 2008, up to 28 August, the average rainfall across the country was 167mm, almost double the 20 year average for the period. The driest regions were the Eastern region and South East with 120mm, or 150% of the average while Yorkshire and Humberside received 180mm or 250% of normal.
This compares to an average rainfall of 142mm for the same period in 2007 which was 170% of the long-term average. However, the profile was very different with more rain at the start of harvest, rather than the continuous wet weather experienced in 2008.
Combining conditions were difficult up to the end of week 7, often with only 2-3 days combining each week. Progress has been dependent on travelling conditions, the willingness of the grower to spend money on drying, the urgency to maintain milling quality and the need to clear fields for oilseed rape planting. As a result the area harvested varied considerably from farm to farm.
In the last two weeks around 0.5Mha have been harvested each week. However, better weather during week 8 is expected to result in a surge of activity with a backlog of ripe crops to be harvested, along with around 0.8Mha of predominantly wheat just coming ready to harvest (Graph 1).
Farm Grain Drying and Storage - The majority of grain harvested in the past 2-3 weeks has required drying, with most being harvested at between 17 and 19% moisture content.
Winter Barley and Winter Oilseed Rape harvest is usually completed in around 4-5 weeks. This year, however, harvest has been spread over a period of 7-8 weeks due to the slow ripening and delays caused by the wet weather.
The winter barley and winter oilseed rape harvests are now complete other than some very small areas. Barley yields have been better-than-average with the national average yield expected to be around 6.6t/ha. Quality has generally been excellent with low grain nitrogen in malting samples, good specific weights and low screenings. The oilseed rape crop has also yielded better-than-expected considering the poor establishment and level of pigeon damage over the winter, and the high levels of sclerotinia in some crops. However, yields are generally lower-than-normal and are highly variable ranging from less than 2.0t/ha to 5.0t/ha and with many fewer high yielding crops than in previous years.
Winter Wheat - Harvest 2008 is the latest start to harvest in recent years, and early progress was slower than in most other years due to the persistent wet conditions. Improved weather during week 8 is likely to result in rapid progress. It is estimated that around 60-70% of the wheat area could be cleared by the end of week 8 (Graph 2).
Regionally, by the end of week 8 it is expected that the majority of wheat in the southern and eastern regions will be harvested, with good progress expected in the Midlands also. Further north, where the crops are only just reaching maturing, progress will be slower.
Yields appear to be good with the occasional top yields of 12t/ha. However, some poorer second wheats affected by take-all have yielded below 7.0t/ha. Given the farm to farm variation, the national average yield is likely to be higher-than-average and expected at over 8.0t/ha. The generally high specific weights are encouraging, making it likely that the final weighed-out yields match those estimated from volume.
Milling protein levels are generally low across the range of samples. They range from 10.8-12.8%, which is a consequence of the high yields, although some Class1 wheats have had proteins of 13%.
Following the wet weather the greatest concern had been for the Hagbergs. There are currently some very mixed reports. In the drier eastern and south eastern regions, where most of the milling wheats are grown, Hagberg levels have been maintained, although levels have dropped from the earlier highs of over 280 and there is some variation. In the wetter western regions there was an increase in late lodging which will affect yield and quality. Cases of grain sprouting in the ear have been reported from all regions.
Spring Barley - As with the other crops, spring barley harvest started 7-10 days later than normal. However, the rate of harvest progress since then has been fairly typical (Graph 3), with around 30% of the area cut by week 7 and around 60% expected by week 8. Most progress has been made in England where about 80% of the area is expected to have been harvested by week 8. In Scotland the harvest is only just getting underway in earnest with an expected 30-40% cut by week 8 and 80% by week 9 depending on the weather.
Spring barley yields have generally been better-than-expected, particularly in Scotland where the crops were planted later than normal and the cold spring slowed emergence. Overall yields are expected to be around average or just above.
Summary - Harvest 2008 saw one of the latest starts, and some of the slowest progress in recent years. Crop ripening was extended due to the cool, dull June and July, resulting in crops reaching maturity 7-10 days later than typical years. The delayed start to combining was compounded by regular rainfall during the first 7 weeks of the harvest window in most regions, which left crops wet, with insufficient time to dry before the next rainfall, and the soil conditions difficult for travel. Typically there were only 2-3 days combining each week, and often only 6-8 hours of combining a day, resulting in delays and concerns over deteriorating quality of milling wheat. In the last week (week 8) the weather has improved with more settled conditions, higher temperatures and more sunshine, giving more combine days and longer combining window each day and progress has been rapid. On the plus side yields to-date have been good.
