Harvest moisture: 2026 vs 2025. The dry theme continues. Cereals are averaging around 13.4% moisture so far this year against roughly 14.2% at the equivalent stage of 2025 — the best part of a point drier. Oilseed rape is coming off at around 6.7%, drier than last year's early entries and comfortably below the 8% standard. Crop arriving that far under spec is effectively giving away weight at the intake, and growers holding dry rape in store may recover some of that margin by conditioning back towards standard before movement.

In the wheats, RGT Skyfall is the standout mover, at 8.28 t/ha adjusted against 7.08 t/ha at the same point last year — up 16.9% — with grain coming in over a point drier. Crusoe (7.49 t/ha, up 3.2%) and Gleam (7.65 t/ha, up 2.5%) are also ahead of their 2025 pace. Among the new entries, LG Beowulf has made an eye-catching debut at 9.05 t/ha from four submissions, with Bamford (7.87 t/ha), Duxford (7.66 t/ha) and SY Cheer (7.29 t/ha) also opening their accounts respectably. Across the wheats as a whole the picture remains mixed, with several varieties running behind their 2025 equivalents at this stage.

In the barleys, KWS Tardis continues to lead from the front, averaging 9.06 t/ha adjusted against 8.49 t/ha at the equivalent stage of 2025 — up 6.7% — on one of the strongest sample sizes in the survey. Laureate is fractionally ahead of its 2025 pace at 6.25 t/ha. Taken together, though, average barley yields remain behind last year's early running.

The oilseed rape continues to show well. Ambassador is running at 4.65 t/ha adjusted, up 12.9% on the same stage last year, with Aurelia (3.90 t/ha) also ahead of its 2025 equivalent. PI Pinnacle has built on its early start, now at 4.81 t/ha from three entries, and Abelia sits at 3.98 t/ha.

Sample sizes per variety remain modest, and regional mix, drilling date and individual fields will still be exerting a pull on the numbers. But at 15,000 acres the dataset is firming up well, and the season's themes — a dry, early harvest with strong performances from the leading varieties in every crop — should sharpen further over the coming fortnight.