Harvest at a standstill because of weather

By Matt Dempsey

With only about 10% of the wheat harvested the bad break in the weather could not have come at a worse time.

Yields had been shaping up to be excellent with some of the good crops in early areas reporting up to five tons/acre.

Winter barley is finished with some spring sown barley crops cut.

Glanbia's Marion Murphy reckons that up to 85% of the malting barley has been cut with quality and yields especially of Prestige above average.

Nationally only about 10% of the wheat acreage has been cut. The milling varieties of Einstein and Soissons Hagbergs are disappointing and prices will be set by the availability and price of English and French supplies.

UK wheat has been hit by even worse weather than here and prices are definitely hardening as heavy rain has swept East Anglia.

Few of the big buyers are talking about firm prices with everyone sitting tight to see the eventual size of the harvest in Britain and here.

The IFA Grain Committee chairman Paddy Harrington maintains that there is a large and growing demand from feeders in the east and north to buy direct from the growers and that a smaller proportion of the output is coming for sale at harvest time.

The market for barley straw is steady, but we are getting reports from the north of straw being baled too fresh and heating. Demand for wheaten straw is poor with most growers preparing to chop it.

Most of the winter oats have been harvested with good yields and prices slightly higher than expected at around €98 a ton.