As spring drilling draws to a close across most of the country some producers will be feeling the effects of last year’s harvest well into next year.

In the North of England poor establishment conditions last autumn had meant many growers had ploughed out failing crops of oilseed rape to sow alternatives, mainly spring barley.

And while this has meant land is more productive, many people have speculated about the overall quantities of barley grown and how this will affect the price at harvest.

One farmer, who wanted to remain nameless, told Farming Online: “I have a feeling those with oilseed rape in will be sitting on a gold mine. So many crops have failed so I’d reckon the price of it will just rise and rise.”

“We have managed to get some rapeseed in but have put a greater area into spring barley. We will probably whole crop this early on just so that we get some land to work earlier.”

David Martin, who farms in County Durham, didn’t manage to get any oilseed rape in on heavy land so has had to think of an alternative strategy.

“The plan is to plant mustard. Grow it as a green manure, cover it with compost and then cultivate it in July to drill at the end of August for wheat.”

“The seed cost isn’t too high and it should benefit the soil structure, leaving ground for a good wheat crop to grow after.”

While many cropping plans have changed this year, it will remain to be seen what prices do for harvest 2013 and the effects crops in place now, will have on consecutive crops.