Although wet weather continues to hamper the UK harvest in the North of the country and yields remain variable, with most below the five year average, quality remains high. image expired

The wet weather has pushed back the mid-August completion date forecast earlier in the year, but the latest data from ADAS and the HGCA shows that with the harvest around 65 per cent complete, wheat is of high quality, “with Hagbergs for milling wheat mostly in excess of 300 seconds, specific weights averaging 78-80 kg/hl and protein levels close to 13per cent.”

Overall, yields are down for winter wheat and winter barley, 95 per cent of which has been harvested so far. Furthermore, according to The Yorkshire Post 20mm of rain fell on parts of the county over the past week, which has caused some disruption to the harvesting process. Harvesting days have been reduced to just one to three short days between the showers, though many crops are said to be only just ripe, so disruption has been minimal.

The wet weather has resulted in heavy overnight dews, meaning that around 90 per cent of grains harvested have needed drying. Oilseed rape moisture in Yorkshire has reportedly been as high as 14 per cent.

France and Germany washed out

Dealers have said that the weather in mainland Europe has put the UK in a favourable position. Although the harvest is progressing slowly quality remains high, while in Germany heavy rains are thought to have reduced crop quality.             

Grain merchant Gleadell revealed on Friday that, "Continued rain across France and Germany is resulting in a greater percentage of wheat being downgraded to only feed quality," adding that these quality concerns had helped boost demand for British wheat.          

Having been parched in the spring drought and then soaked by rains which have lashed the country since the beginning of August, the German Farm Co-operative Association (DBV) last week decreased its grain production forecast to 40.3 million tonnes (down from 44.2Mt last year). German rapeseed output is also expected to drop 34 percent from about 5.7 million tons in 2010 to an estimated 3.7 million tons this year.

Johannes Funke, a spokesperson for DBV described the 2011 harvest “a serious disappointment” for farmers. He said, "We need to wait and see how the rest of the European harvest goes; other countries could harvest more and even things out. But the problem is that farmers here will be losing money." He called for plant breeders to increase efforts to deliver plants that can cope with a changing climate.

HGCA said that the dearth in wheat production, combined with the reduced maize crop in the USA after a difficult spring and summer, will have serious implications in terms of price rises for feed, which is already the single largest input cost for livestock farmers.