The harvest is proving hard to complete, as weather windows are short.

While progress was made in the second half of last week, some spring barley remains to be cut in most areas, ranging from 5% to 20%.

Straw remains the biggest challenge, with yields dropping as weather damage melts cut straw.

Growers are reporting that all their straw is long since sold and no orders are being taken. Indeed, the difficulty now is baling enough straw to fulfil orders.

In Donegal and the northwest, about 20% of barley is cut, and more than half of winter wheat, so combines have been moving again. Yields are quite good. The next week will now be vital, as days will shorten significantly from mid-September on.

Tough on combines

It’s tough going in many barley crops, with corn hard to cut. Why this should be is hard to say, but poorish roots in looser soil mean combine operators have to watch out for dragging, which could lead to blockages.

Malting barley

Dairygold

About 5% of malting barley is left to cut. Our growers have exceeded their tonnage requirements within the 9% to 11% protein range. That covers both distilling and malting barley. Rejections have run at about 10%, mostly on protein, with quality excellent overall.

Glanbia

The co-op fully expects to reach contract tonnage, with 90% delivered to date. There were virtually no rejections in the south (Cork, Waterford, South Tipp); there were 15% to 20% in south Wexford and up to 40% in mid-Wexford and Kilkenny.

Most rejections were due to diseased and damaged grains, particularly fusarium infection, not protein.

Average proteins are not higher than last year. Propino is at 10.3% compared with 10.5% last year. Planet is at 9.9% in 2017 compared with 9.8% in 2016 on a much bigger tonnage in 2017. Laureate, a new variety this year, is at 9.4%.

Exceptionally good yields across Cork and south Tipperary (Planet) and south Wexford (Propino) have diluted overall protein averages.

Read more

All the action from harvest 2017

One million bales of straw gone due to drop in cereal area

Listen: better harvest progress, but quality starting to slip