The 2011 wheat harvest has not been as bad as first feared, according to the results of an NFU member survey, despite this year’s extremely dry weather.
Preliminary results from the NFU 2011 Harvest Survey have revealed yields are below average, although cropping area was up by around three per cent to 1.822million hectares.
English wheat production for this year is estimated at around 13.636million tonnes, down on the five-year average by 1.5 per cent.
This year’s preliminary yield estimate is 7.5 tonnes per hectare.
NFU combinable crops chairman Ian Backhouse said: “I believe this year’s yield decrease was largely due to tough growing conditions last spring, including one of the lowest ever rainfall levels recorded for the first half of the year across the majority of England.
“Despite higher plantings, production this year is expected to be lower compared to last year due to lower yields. Production will be down on the five-year average by around 189,000 tonnes.
“Survey responses have pointed to a large variability in yields often linked to soil type and capacity to hold water where a fortunate few benefited from showers of rain this spring. Where sufficient rain fell in June and July onto later maturing crops, yields have been exceptional.
"However, towards the latter part of harvest there was more variability in quality with summer rains preventing many farmers keeping up with ripening crops. Fortunately, much of the quality milling crop was already harvested and dried before exposure to prolonged rainfall.”
Mr Backhouse stressed how important CAP support had been for farmers that have struggled through the dry spell.
He added: “Many in the eastern regions, where two-thirds of England’s wheat is grown, were particularly badly affected by lack of timely rainfall. And for some farmers whose yields were hit most dramatically by the extremes in weather this year, CAP support has been really important.
“It serves to demonstrate the value of the single farm payment in shielding farmers from the extremes of climate and market volatility.”
He also acknowledged the importance of investment in the sector. Mr Backhouse said: “Farmers have invested millions in drying to preserve grain quality. The Home Grown Cereals Authority report that wheat quality is very good this year, with a higher proportion expected to achieve full milling specification than for a number of years. Many report crops weighing heavier and high bushel weights are partly compensating for lower volume harvested.
“Following a very dry spring and rains disrupting summer harvest in 2011, farmers invested in grain drying to protect quality and overcame a challenging season.”
- Full UK yield results for wheat, barley and oilseed rape crops are still being gathered by our economics team and will be made available when harvest has progress further in the North and after the results of UK government planting surveys are published at the end of September. And it's not too late to have your say - click here to take part.
- james brown - 14/09/2011
Here we go again! Who makes these figures up ? Harvest was rubbish, we all know it was. On our farm were used to plus four ton an acre on our land, but this year its more like three point two. The price has been to good so the powers that be need to get them down, so lets send out a load of numbers and frighten everyone into selling grain cheap. Dont fall for it, again!