On Wednesday 4 July we began the 2018 winter barley harvest. Coincidentally, it exactly corresponded with the starting date in 1984, 34 years ago, which was the earliest in my farming career. While I do not have the return for every individual load, the yield was somewhere slightly above 3.75t/ac at 14-17% moisture and a KPH of 68-70.

Were we affected by the weather? Undoubtedly. The final gentle ripening phase was accelerated by temperatures over 30°C and the straw has a bleached, slightly pink hue to it. The yield of straw does not seem to be affected but I don’t expect the oats to escape as lightly.

The straw market is buoyant and I am torn between maximising the gain to be had in this extreme year with the desirability of keeping long-term customers who pay on time with no hassle year-in year-out. So far, I have tried to up the price to the regular customers, while making sure they know they are getting the straw at below this year’s value. Next in line is the oilseed rape, where there seems to be good pod development but they are unusually rubbery and pliable. We will desiccate immediately and give it around three weeks with a pod sealant to desiccate fully.

The one disappointment of the 2018 harvest is that for the first time my gluten-free oats have not met my buyer’s specifications. It is in the only field in the farm where I have persistent wild oat problems. This year there seems to be an epidemic of young new green wild oat shoots and, given the rigorous quality control standards, I cannot blame my customers for their decision.

Grass growth is almost at a standstill except for a field of second-cut silage growing on damp land with a gley subsoil. It comes into its own in a year like this.

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