Yield fears proving unfounded
Arable farmers across the country who had been bracing themselves for poor harvest yields have not been as disappointed as they had expected.
With the long, cold, wet winter unexpectedly turning into the joint hottest and driest summer on record for the UK, many crop growers had been fearing the worst as stunted looking crops approached harvest.
However, a meeting of NFU Scotland’s crop committee showed that many around the country had not suffered as badly as they first feared.
While some are still struggling to finish their harvests – with yesterday’s storm likely to have caused considerable damage –the broader picture was one of yields from winter and
spring barley being back on average, but with straw hit harder than grain.
The picture for wheat was more mixed, with some reporting good quality, whilst others stating it had been hard at the start of the summer and never fully recovered.
Most, however, were relieved that the harvest hadn’t lived up to their worst fears and the drier weather also meant that less drying had been required.
In the Lothian sand Borders,yields had been varied although many were back on normal, with Lothian grower Willie Thomson, Wheatrig, reporting that barley yields and quality had been pleasing while wheat had disappointed.
Neil White, Greenknowe, Berwickshire, commented that most growers had finished harvest in August – around three weeks ahead of normal – with most finding yields had been close to average.