Andrew Craig has almost finished rapeseed harvest at Westwood Farm, Much Wenlock, Shropshire, having enjoyed record-breaking yields.

“We’ve just got 6ha (15 acres) left in corners of fields which are not really ripe,” he said.

“The first field of Cubic we cut did 5.6t/ha (2.25t/acre) – we’ve never had a 5t/ha (2t/acre) crop before so that was very pleasing.”

The following fields of Cabernet, Expower and Excalibur didn’t quite meet that, but Mr Craig expected the 80ha (200 acres) to average almost 5t/ha (2t/acre) overall.

“The crops have been very consistent all the way through.”

Cassia winter barley was also quite pleasing, at 6.9-8.6t/ha (2.8-3.5t/acre). “We cut it at 13-14% moisture but there was still a lot of green straw – and it’s the same in the wheat and the oats.

“It’s just a case of waiting for some sunshine to ripen them now. The oats might be ready after the weekend (6/7 August), but the wheat will the middle of next week at the earliest.

“The crops look surprisingly good; we didn’t suffer too much with the drought early on, and June has been an ideal mixture of sunshine and showers. I’m quite optimistic about them.”

Crop: Oilseed rape
Varieties: Cubic, Cabernet, Expower and Excalibur
Area: 80ha (200 acres)
Yield: <5t/ha (2t/acre)

Crop: Winter barley
Variety: Cassia
Area: 40ha (100 acres)
Yield: 6.9-8.6t/ha (2.8-3.5t/acre)