An early harvest has meant most eastern regions of the UK are nearing completion, but milling wheat protein contents have been disappointing.

See also: Harvest over in record-breaking finish for Norfolk grower

Somerset

Cannington Grain, near Bridgwater, has started taking in spring barley, with crop performance down due to the dry conditions.

Store manager John Collins says they have also received 5,000t of winter feed barley, showing average moisture content of 13.2%, with 68kg/hl specific weight.

“Screenings are all clean. Ergot has been around, which we don’t really see in this part of the country, so that could be a problem,” says Mr Collins.

The store has also taken in 1,200t of good-quality milling oats, averaging 13.5% moisture and 58kg/hl specific weight.

“Bushel weights have been up,” says Mr Collins. It’s the same in wheat – 13,000t has averaged 80.34 kg/hl specific weight for feed wheat, and more than 80kg/hl for milling wheat.

While it has struggled in protein content, Hagberg has been exceptional at 350.

Wiltshire

Further east, at Trinity Grain, near Shrewton, low moisture content has required less processing and feed barley specific weights reached levels not seen before.

Trinity Grain has taken in malting barley varieties Laureate and Planet, both with very good specific weights of 72kg/hl.

Nitrogen content has been reasonably low, averaging 1.6%, with Planet alone averaging 1.4%, explains Izzie Lawrence, store manager.

The store has also seen 2,500t of milling oats, which have averaged 58kg/hl.

Milling wheat proteins are averaging 12.6% this year, with specific weights at 83kg/hl, which is much better than expected. Hagberg numbers have averaged 350, and 4,000t of Group 1 varieties have been delivered so far.

Cambridge

Wheat harvest in the East is set to finish this week, showing a mix of reasonable and low yields due to the drought.

“Here at Camgrain we haven’t fired up the grain dryers,” says Philip Darke, operations director.

Milling wheat has been fantastic quality with no weather damage, with Skyfall and Crusoe doing particularly well.

Hagberg numbers have been well above 250, moisture content 11-12%, specific weight 80-84kg/hl and screenings 1-2%. However, protein content is down compared with last year.

“This is due to fertiliser expense,” says Mr Darke. “More farmers will be planting Crusoe this year as it achieves slightly more protein.”

Malting barley has had 100% germination rate and yields have been dependent on rainfall, with a full range of nitrogen content between 1.3% and 2%.

Camgrain has received 80% of the overall crop this harvest.

Scottow Farms, East Anglia, Norfolk, finish their harvest on the 30th July 2022. From Left to Right; Owen Whiting, Trevor Andrews, Richard Andrews, Simon Shaw, William Shaw. Trevor Andrews retires after being at the farm for 50 years and Richard Andrews retires after 40 years – photo submitted to our Harvest 2022 gallery by Danielle Kemp

Norfolk

Across in North Walsham, farmer Bob Clabon completed harvest on 8 August at Rookery Farm, finishing with feed wheat variety Astronomer, which yielded 10.5-11t/ha.

Skyscraper also produced good yields at 13.5t/ha. Mr Clabon says he has cut 3,500t of wheat, with moisture contents at 12-14% and specific weights just above 80kg/hl.

He has two farm locations – a coastal farm and another holding 10 miles inland. He says the coastal farm has performed the best this year.

“On those two hot days I was sampling rapeseed. At the coastal fields it was 28C, then 38C inland.”

It is his second year growing oilseed rape and he is happy with 5t/ha, 8.5% moisture content and 46% oil content. The farm also has 550t of spring barley variety Diablo at 10.56t/ha.

But fires have caused concern on his and neighbouring farms. Mr Clabon had a fire in his winter barley and his neighbour experienced loss of a rapeseed field.