Winter barley looks good at Camgrain
Winter barley yields in Cambridgeshire are better than average, and quality is very good, according to Philip Darke at Camgrain.
“Nitrogen contents are very low, at about 1.65%, and bushelweights are good,” he said.
So far the store had taken in about 20,000t of grain, with harvest between 10 and 14 days later than normal.
“Oilseed rape yields are about 10-12% down on last year’s record levels, and oil contents are also lower,” said Mr Darke.
Wheat was looking particularly poor, with about 250t delivered into store so far. “It doesn’t look very nice at all.
“It has clearly died off, and the samples are quite shrivelled. Quality is going to be all over the shop and we’ll have to be very careful with mycotoxins,” he added.
“But then, I spoke to someone last night who was combining and getting 10t/ha, so yields are pretty variable, too.”
Spring barley had also died off, with many grain sites not being filled. “It was very thin, but there was no evidence of disease or mycotoxins in the barley.”
