Somerset grower Charles Quick managed to catch a break between the rainstorms to make a start on winter wheat harvest, before this week’s forecast of heavy rain.

Cutting into a crop of Graham over the weekend on the outskirts of Taunton, Charles was pleased with budgeted yields of 8.5-9t/ha and a specific weight of 74kg/hl – despite a potential breakdown in the variety’s disease resistance.

See also: Lincs winter barley harvest lodged in wettest month of the year

“It’s coming off well, with the best parts hitting 10t/ha and fairly decent moisture of 16.5%, which I’m pleased with, considering the weather,” he says.

“We were not expecting to harvest at all this morning, but then the sun came out so we thought we’d better have a nibble before the rain sets in again.”

With a small dry window and wet weather forecast for the foreseeable future, it is proving to be a grab-and-go harvest. “We are snatching the crop when we can, and today is one of those days,” he says.

Despite the stop-start combining at Keirles Farm, Thurloxton where Charles farms 135ha with his father Andrew, the pair say it’s been an “OK” growing season.

“The wheat was drilled with an Amazone Primera tine drill during the second week of October. Crops survived the wet spring and summer drought, with good levels of radiation throughout June,” says Charles. “There has certainly been worse conditions, so I can’t complain.”

Hear from Charles in the video below.

Breakdown in Graham

However, disease pressure in the South West has proved challenging, particularly septoria, which sparked a £150/ha extra spend on fungicide compared with last year’s mere £50/ha.

Charles believes Graham’s disease resistance to septoria has been slowly breaking down, and next year he is dropping it from the rotation.

“Graham has been a consistent performer and served us well, but it’s lost its edge. We’ve had a series of kind years for septoria but this season has been notably higher and the variety is behind the pace.”

It will be replaced with one of the farm’s new variety additions: Mayflower, Champion, Olympus, Redwald or consistent performer Theodore.

“Redwald is looking the strongest candidate so far. It’s proving to be a robust direct driller on our sandy loam soils and it has a huge ear of grain. Being the first time we have grown it, I’m looking forward to what it yields.”

Oilseed rape wind damage

The father-and-son team run a wheat, rapeseed, wheat and pea rotation, where oilseed rape harvest was completed last week, with “yields just about scraping 3t/ha”.

Crops were hammered by the winds leading up to harvest which cost yield. Sheltered areas hit yields of 4t/ha.

Rather than growing home-saved seed for conventional varieties such as Aspire, the plan is to opt for hybrid varieties with improved pod shatter resistance.

Charles and Andrew also run a pick-your-own fruit, pumpkin and sunflower farm as well as contract farming with neighbouring beef and arable farmer Mark Besley of Prockters Farm.