Recent sunshine and showers are causing a stop-start effect on this year’s harvest, as the country heads into spring crops. NFU Scotland growers around the country have been reporting some success with winter barley and small amounts of oilseed rape.

However, the recent poor weather means harvest for rape, wheat and spring barley will now have to be squeezed into the next available window when ground conditions for machinery improve. Sowing winter crops of oilseed rape, wheat and barley may also be delayed.

NFU Scotland’s combinable crops chair Ian Sands, who farms at Balbeggie in Perthshire, said: “Growers the length and breadth of Scotland all seem to be in the same boat, as we watch the promise of a very good harvest falter in the wet weather.

“In Perthshire it is very challenging. The harvesting of winter barley and oilseed rape should all be finished, but there is a bit of winter barley still to be cut and straw that has been lying for some time, waiting to be baled, is looking very weathered now. There is still quite a bit of oilseed rape to cut, which will not be faring well in the heavy rain we have been getting. Some losses will have inevitably happened.

“The feared Brexit speculation that prices would fall is not speculation any more – it is a reality.

“Hopefully the weather picks up and quick progress can be made through the main part of harvest and we can get next year’s crops back in the ground in decent conditions.”

Quotes

Neil White, Greenknowe, Duns, Berwickshire

“Harvest is progressing, but at a very slow pace. Cutting decisions are made by the forecast and the potential deterioration in grain quality rather than moisture. Some oilseed rape is beginning to sprout, especially in the lying patches. Thursday was a dry day and everyone was cutting. Some early wheat is also at risk of sprouting, and if the weather improves it will be cut regardless of moisture and the added expense of drying will be accepted over quality issues. I still have winter barley straw lying in the field from three weeks ago. The amount of straw chopped has increased already and will continue to rise as wet ground conditions and mixed forecasts make baling and clearing fields almost impossible.”

Sandy Henderson, Little Ythsie, Tarves, Ellon

“The weather has been very catchy. There is a lot of straw left lying from late-cut crops, some of it up to three weeks old, and that will hold up planting. Harvesting of oilseed rape is under way. Spring barley and wheat are at least a week away for us, but there are a lot of battered spring barley crops around. Moisture levels of wheat harvested so far are high.”

Euan Walker Munro, Mains of Kinnettles, Forfar, Angus

“So far we’ve had good winter barley yields, which should go some way to making up for poor field conditions. The 2019 winter oilseed rape is being cut at 16%-18% moisture, when it should be 12% or below. The oilseed crop is now deteriorating, hence the urgent need to get it combined and into shed. Around 80% of our 2020 crop of winter oilseed rape has been sown in acceptable conditions, but 20% has been poor, so knock-on effects are already anticipated for our 2020 oilseed harvest. The forecast is looking better for next week”

Jack Stevenson, Brangan, Boyndie, Banff

“Winter barley harvest is almost complete, and it’s been very stop-start over the past couple of weeks. There are still some areas with oilseed rape to lift that have been lying in a swath for three weeks, and is not looking good. There are big problems getting straw cleared for oilseed rape planting and one estate near us has put a self-propelled forage harvester into winter barley straw to get land cleared. We are getting heavy, localised showers nearly every day, making ground very wet.

“I anticipate that spring barley will be starting the middle of next week when hopefully the weather improves. There is lodging in some spring barley fields and harvesting them will be tricky.”

Fraser Shaw, Dryfeholm, Lockerbie

“The winter barley is cut, although there is little winter barley grown in this part of Dumfriesshire. Progress is being made with the oilseed rape, but the weather has made travelling very difficult. Wheat will be ready to cut as soon as weather improves. Oilseed rape has been cut, but spring barley is still 14 days away.”

Zander Hughes South Dundonald Farm, Cardenden, Fife

“Conditions have been challenging at best and remain so. Very little has been achieved in the past fortnight. Winter barley is probably around 60%-70% complete, but varies hugely between farms, with some of the heavier land unable to support machinery, meaning subsequent deterioration of the crop as every additional rain shower passes.

“Lodging and brackling is rife despite strong PGR programmes. Yields seem to be good across all crops so far, however most haven’t ventured into spring crops yet. Quality may well prove to be an issue. My biggest concern now is the workload in front of us. Wheat and spring barley appear to be ripening at the same time, with spring oats not far behind. It will be a question of where to turn first. Next year’s oilseed rape still has time to go in the ground, but we really could do with some dry weather now to aid slug control.”

Andrew McFadzean, Pickles Agriculture, Dalchomie, Maybole, Ayrshire

“In this area winter barley is completed, with good yields. Winter wheat is only just ready, with a lot of crop on the ground due to heavy rain. Spring barley is still two weeks away, mostly standing, but there are a few fields down. The biggest concern now is ground conditions.”