Weather has been difficult for harvesting for the past week, but some growers did manage to get some cutting done over the weekend.

Some of this was in reasonable condition with moisture levels below 20% but more if it was cut up to and above 30% in desperation.

Crops received considerable hardship even ahead of this week’s storm, especially in the south, where they had been badly tossed and broken down by storm Ellen.

There is little one can do about the weather other than take every half chance to get crops cut

Seed germination is an issue in some crops, leaving concerns for malting barley and for the safety of seed crops. Yield losses seem inevitable, with bunches of heads on the ground post-harvest, as do quality losses.

There is little one can do about the weather other than take every half chance to get crops cut. Have the combine four-wheel-drives working as land gets softer or dust off the duals. Check tyre pressure in all wheels – keeping them as low as possible helps to reduce ground pressure. Straw is proving difficult to bale too. Hold off turning it until you know you can get it baled as losses will be higher and it will blacken in colour. Chop rape straw behind the combine if winter oilseed rape is to be planted and it needs to be sown.