One large Lincolnshire estate has completed 80% of its winter wheat drilling as recent rain has helped with the creation of better seedbeds and led to good plant establishment.

The 5,600ha Blankney Estate grows 1,050ha of winter wheat and started drilling on 18 September, with most of the remaining wheat set to follow sugar beet.

Tim Harper, commercial director at the estate, says earlier dry weather made good seedbed difficult to create but the situation did improve.

“It was very dry to establish seed-beds initially on our heavier land, but the situation improved with recent rains which has also helped plant establishment,” he told Farmers Weekly.

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Main wheat varieties on the estate’s largely limestone brash soils just south of Lincoln are Graham and Lily, with two new feed varieties, Shabras and Freiston, being tried this season.

The sugar beet harvest started on the estate on Monday (October 22) and is set to continue until the end of the beet harvesting campaign in early February, with beet being delivered to British Sugar’s Newark factory.