The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Bumper barley harvest
Five perfect harvesting days over last weekend see about 70% of spring crop cut in less than a week
Central Scotland’s spring barley harvest looks like being a record one, with yields currently averaging around 7 tonnes/ha.
Last year’s Scottish harvest averaged 5.54t/ha and the highest yields in the last 20 years were 6.07t/ha.
Traders are nervous of tempting fate, but five consecutive perfect harvesting days over last weekend saw every available combine and baler put in long shifts to cut about 70% of the spring crop in less than a week.
Frontier Agriculture’s manager for Scotland Bruce Ferguson said nitrogen levels and screenings were low and skinning hasn’t been an issue to date.
“Yields are well above the five-year average,” he said.
“It’s too early to suggest it’s going to be a vintage harvest – we’ll need to see how well we get on with the last 30% – but if we get another four or five good days we’ll be well through it.”
East of Scotland Farmers general manager Robin Barron was equally upbeat about the quality of samples, but said some farmers were having issues with pre-germination.
“The heavy rain in July and the beginning of August meant parts of crops were down, so we’re asking members to keep those areas separate so they don’t risk the main bulk,” he said.
Good yields mean prices are under pressure and barley that doesn’t make the malting grade is facing tricky trading conditions as uncertainty over Brexit continues to erode confidence in the livestock sector.
Meanwhile, NFU Scotland (NFUS) is now asking growers to complete its 2019 harvest survey.
The union has launched its annual arable crops survey that aids the production of harvest figures by the Scottish Government, Defra and the European Commission.
“Following a week in which the weather has significantly improved, there will have been some badly needed progress in Scotland’s harvest for 2019,” said NFUS combinable crops policy manager Peter Loggie.
“It is in the interests of all growers that the harvest estimates for Scotland are as accurate as possible and I hope farmers find the time in their busy schedules to complete the survey before September 23.”