DESPITE the relatively shaky start to this year’s harvest given the recent wet weather and unseasonably cool temperatures, Harvest 2015 is now finally underway.

Local growers have made an excellent start on this season’s winter barley crop with encouraging results reported for both feed and malting varieties.

Most crops have averaged somewhere in the region of 3T per acre in a variety of field situations and although moisture contents were perhaps a little on the high side for some, nearly all dried bushel weights have tested significantly above the required 63.5kg/hl.

Nitrogen contents of most preferred malting varieties have been excellent with several samples testing below 1.40 per cent.

Further south, a promising start has been made to this year’s oilseed rape crop. Results in Sussex, Norfolk and some areas of southern Lincolnshire are showing better yields than last year, although progress is variable and the trade is therefore reluctant to make any conclusions just yet.

Elsewhere, this year’s wheat harvest is well underway across central Europe with France, Germany and Spain all reporting promising yields, particularly given the initial concerns following last month’s heat wave. France, Europe’s largest wheat producer has now harvested around 70 per cent of this year’s wheat crop. Yields are currently in the region of 7.3 tonnes per hectare which is just short of last year’s final average yield.

Ex-farm wheat values have fallen under significant pressure over the last month or so. Dry weather, high temperatures and the on-going Greek debt crisis seemingly shook the grain trade in early July; four weeks later and a return to a more stable weather forecast alongside a marginally better outlook for Greece has pressured feed wheat values back to £115/T ex-farm. This is a £15/T decline since the end of June.

Feed barley values are also under pressure and although export opportunities are allowing for rapid movement off the farm, the strength of sterling against the Euro is limiting current values to sub £100/T ex-farm.