Harvest

Uncertainty around Russian and US wheat prospects for harvest 2021 has driven UK and global wheat prices higher as speculative investors turn their attention to agricultural commodities and China makes big purchases.

Featuring a greater number of models with more power and larger grain tanks, Claas recently revealed its new Lexion straw walker models in the UK.

The UK’s winter linseed area is set to more than double on last year as growers look to alternative break crops to oilseed rape.

Despite everything that has been thrown at them in terms of adverse weather and Covid-19 restrictions, it seems from an early estimate that Scottish farmers may have produced their biggest harvest for 10 years.

It has been a disappointing start to sugar beet harvest for Lincolnshire grower, Tilly Ireland who began lifting the 280-hectare crop slightly early after the Newark British Sugar factory opened on September 22.

The loss of potato desiccant diquat, sprout suppressant chlorpropham (CIPC) combined with soil damage from last year has meant that some growers are facing added growing costs of £100/hectare in 2020.

Harvest finished for us on September 11, three days later than last year, which was not a bad result considering where we were approaching the end of August. It was a very stop start affair this year, as it was for most in our part of the country, and it never really felt like we got going.

Harvest is all but finished here in North Yorkshire, the last few stragglers of spring barley are to be mopped up while spring beans are just about ready to cut.  In all, yields are what we expected. Need I say any more?

Its always a nice feeling to be finished harvest regardless of how it has gone and, with our 2020 efforts concluding yesterday (September), we have shaved a week off our usual date - helped along last week by some glorious windy days allowing very early starts.

Weather worries, no-deal uncertainty, a tighter global market and Covid-19 continue to influence grain prices.