What a difference a year makes! This time last year we were still in the grip of a cold, wet spell and the damaging legacy of the ‘beast from the east’. Water tables were full and a lot of land remained to be sown with much of it not being drilled until well into May.
Who would believe that we were still struggling to sow some soils only 7-8 weeks ago and now harvest is upon us rather more quickly than anticipated. We are all set to go and look forward to seeing samples as they come in.
Having now seen a lot of winter barley, both feed and malting, it is clear that the tricky growing season culminating in a wet, dull June has taken the edge off both quality and yields.
As we emerge from the winter, the weather is certainly improving and the majority of crops look well established having come through the winter months well. There is not a huge amount to keep you abreast of but we will cover the pertinent points below:
