Wet weather threatens hopes for great harvest
One month ago, it was all rosy as farmers looked at their ripening crops but now Brexit worries, tariff concerns, mixed weather and high drying costs are blighting what promised to be a great harvest in Scotland.
In a stop/start harvest, there are reports of some success with winter barley and small amounts of oilseed rape. However the recent poor weather means harvest for rape, wheat and spring barley is now being squeezed into the next available weather window. Any delay will have a knock on effect on sowing winter crops of oilseed rape, wheat and barley.
Reports are of grain coming off the combine with moisture levels between 17 and 20 per cent resigning growers to drying costs. This comes at a time when cereal prices are falling, input costs are rising, and Brexit brings the threat of ‘no deal’ and an unfair playing field on import tariffs.
NFU Scotland’s Combinable Crops Chairman Ian Sands who farms at Balbeggie in Perthshire said: “Growers the length and breadth of Scotland all seem to be in the same boat as we watch the promise of a very good harvest falter in the wet weather.
“The harvesting of winter barley and oilseed rape should all be finished but there is a bit of winter barley still to be cut and straw that has been lying for some time waiting to be baled is looking very weathered now.
“There is still quite a bit of oilseed rape to cut which will not be faring well in the heavy rain we have been getting. Some losses will have inevitably happened.
“Spring barley is just starting to come ready so we will know soon how it has fared over the past few weeks of bad weather. Some small amounts of wheat have been cut and worryingly there are reports of it sprouting in the head already.
“Regardless of what crop anyone is trying to harvest, the fields are very soft for travelling across with combines and trailers and, with more rain forecast, this will not improve anytime soon.
In Berwickshire, Neil White reported harvest was progressing but at a very slow pace. “Cutting decisions are made by the forecast and the potential deterioration in grain quality rather than moisture.”
Spring barley is almost ready, and we are all hoping the weather will change considerably as we need drier crops and this straw is usually baled.
It is not all gloomy as the crops cut are good but remaining ones are deteriorating in the wet and the bulk of harvest is still to come.
In Aberdeenshire, Sandy Henderson, Little Ythsie, Tarves, said the weather had been very catchy. “On winter barley, there is a lot of straw left lying from late cut crops, some of it up to three weeks old, and that will hold up planting for some.”
Moisture levels of what has been harvested so far are high.
Harvest is probably more typical of a normal year than last year’s heatwave. The weather is a worry but it’s not a disaster yet.
In Laurencekirk, Andrew Moir, Thornton Mains, said he had achieved outstanding yields of winter barley with no issues travelling and the crops cut in late July and early August. Since then we have had about 100ml of rain and more to come.
“Our oats are ready, but the land is unable to carry the combine. I know because I tried and failed on Tuesday. We really need rain to stop now as four or five dry days are needed to let ground dry enough to carry machinery.”