Milling wheat quality looks promising so far, but forecast rain this week is raising concerns over Hagberg levels.

Simon Ingle at Openfield said the samples of milling wheat tested so far had been good, with high bushelweights and bold grains.

“There’s a wide variation in protein, but on average it is slightly above last year, at 13.1% compared to 12.9% last season.

“But Hagbergs are not awfully robust, at 270-280, and I don’t know if the crop is going to be very resilient to weathering if the weather does turn poor as forecast.”

Some lower grade samples had already come in with Hagbergs as poor as 115, he said. “That’s the corruptive influence of secondary growth and green grains.”

Milling premiums had narrowed from an average of £22/t last week, to just over £15 today (3 August), as a result of increasing availability of good quality wheat, he added.

“But if wet weather sets in premiums could find a degree of support.”

Oilseed rape yields and quality had been exceptional, said rapeseed trader Peter Hall.

“The wheat harvest has caught up very quickly with the oilseed rape, so it’s a bit chaotic.

“But a lot of crops are averaging 5t/ha (2t/acre), and oil contents are also high, at 44.5% to 45.5%.”

Harvest pressure had undermined rapeseed prices, which were pegged at £361/t ex-farm for harvest movement – more than £7 down on the week.