Combines started moving into winter barley crops on the Lincolnshire Wolds this week with one large estate reporting a “promising” start to harvest with early yields above 8t/ha.

Harvest kicked off on Wednesday (July 20) on the Sir Richard Sutton Estate at the northern end of the Wolds with two combines starting to cut the first 14ha field of Glacier winter barley.

Chris Baylis, head of farming, says yields were coming in at 8.0-8.5t/ha compared with a five-year average of 8.45t/ha on the estate, which includes light Wold soils and heavier land towards the River Humber.

“Considering the cold late spring we have made a promising start to harvest,” he tells the Farmers Weekly.

See also: Harvest 2016: Early barley yields and quality down

Early indications showed moisture levels at 16.2% while specific weight was a reasonable 62kg/hl in a season which has seen some low grain quality due largely to a lack of sun in June.

The Lincolnshire Estate based at Hall Farm, Stainton le Vale, about six miles north-east of Market Rasen, stretches to 3,600ha, of which 2,600ha are in arable cropping.

© David Jones/RBI

The farming operation grows 385ha of winter barley divided between Glacier and the six-row variety Volume.