In England, the end of the summer crop harvest is now in sight. However, the precipitation of the past period has not done the quality of the crops any good. For example, spring barley and spring wheat have been affected by fungus, as a result of which a large proportion of summer crops have ended up in the feed segment.
In large parts of England, including the regions of Hampshire, Kent and Lincolnshire, the harvest of summer crops is almost complete. The rainfall of the past period did not do the quality of the summer crops any good. The quality of summer barley in particular deteriorated very quickly after the rain. As a result, only half of the harvested spring barley reached 'malting quality'.
Quality problems
The yields of summer crops this season are in any case considerably smaller than previous seasons (partly due to the difficult weather conditions). The fact that the precipitation has now also reduced the quality is a major setback for British growers. In some areas the quality is so low that more than 50% of summer crops have ended up in the feed segment. In the Lincolnshire region, insiders report that out of 30 loads of spring barley, on average only 4 loads can meet the malting quality.
Another major problem this season is that the crops are seriously affected by fungus, mainly ergot. In Lincolnshire, around 57% of spring wheat has suffered mold damage. For spring barley in this region, that percentage is approximately 27%. In other parts of the country, the percentage of summer crops affected by this specific fungus is also well above the level of the past 10 years, insiders say.
The high protein content of spring wheat doesn't help either. Across the country, an average protein percentage of 13% to 14% is reported. The nitrogen content is close to 1,87%. This is different for winter wheat, where the protein percentage is fairly low at 12%. Not only is the quality of spring wheat and spring barley lower than in other years, but bean cultivation has also suffered this season. In some regions, beans are not even grown for human consumption due to crop failures caused by insect damage.
Good harvest in Scotland
The situation in Scotland is the opposite. There, growers are experiencing a relatively good grain harvest, with approximately 90% of the summer grain having now been harvested. The yields of spring barley show a positive picture, partly because the precipitation has spread across the country in the past period. However, the nitrogen content is relatively low, with an average of 1,37%.