Crop development

Weather has been highly favourable so far this spring, providing excellent conditions for drilling. Most areas of the UK experienced little to no rain until 21 March, although most soils remained moist.

Drilling is progressing very well, with almost all lighter land already drilled. Some seedbeds are drier than ideal, hindering rapid and even germination. Drilling is currently underway on medium soils, but wetter, heavy soils are slightly delayed. In some regions of England, more than 70% of spring crops have already been drilled.

Drilling progress has been limited in Scotland by soil temperatures remaining low.

In Northern Ireland, farmers are being more cautious about drilling spring barley too early. Past challenges with early spring drilling have led many to deliberately delay planting, even when conditions are ideal.

February had warm daytime temperatures that were favourable for winter crop growth. But night frosts slowed development, keeping winter crops more or less at a normal growth stage for this time of year. Overall, winter barley is ahead in growth, winter oats show little difference, and winter wheat is slightly behind compared to last year.

Compared to other parts of the UK, winter crops in the East Midlands are behind their usual growth stage for this time of year, as they were drilled later than usual due to heavy rainfall, including some plantings in late November.

Meanwhile, the relatively low temperatures also slowed the growth of early-drilled spring crops.

January was colder than usual, which along with night time frosts since, has helped to control pests, weeds and diseases compared to last year’s warmer temperatures. Last year, the warmer temperatures resulted in a higher prevalence of cereal diseases.

The information in this report was captured up to Monday 24 March 2025 for AHDB by RSK ADAS Ltd.

Crop condition definitions

Crop condition was assessed using the USDA approach. This classifies crops into one of five categories, from very poor through to excellent (see details below). The values are given as the percentage of the GB crop area for that crop that falls in each of the categories – regional condition scores are available on the crop reporting dashboard at the bottom of this page.

• Very Poor - Extreme degree of loss to yield potential, complete or near crop failure.
• Poor - Heavy degree of loss to yield potential, which can be caused by excess soil moisture, drought, disease, etc.
• Fair - Less than normal crop condition. Yield loss is a possibility, but the extent is unknown.
• Good - Yield prospects are normal. Moisture levels are adequate and disease, insect damage, and weed pressures are minor.
• Excellent - Yield prospects are above normal. Crops are experiencing little or no stress. Disease, insect damage, and weed pressures are insignificant.

Data on GB crop conditions captured up to Monday 24 March 2025.

Source: AHDB, data captured by RSK ADAS Ltd

Note: Figures may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Wheat

Overall, crop establishment is good for winter wheat, though late-drilled crops are slightly thinner and patchy due to the wet conditions.

Most crops are now approaching GS30.

At the end of March, 67% of the GB winter wheat crop is in excellent or good condition. This is much improved from 44% at the end of November and 33% at this point last year. But the proportion in excellent or good condition is still below the 90% recorded in March 2023 and 81% in March 2022.

Winter barley

In general, winter barley had good to very good establishment and over wintered well. An estimated 70% of winter barley crops are in good to excellent condition at the end of March, compared to just 38% a year ago and 57% in November. The proportion is still below March 2023 (92%) and in March 2022 (80%).

Most crops are now approaching GS30-31.

Oats

Winter oat crops are generally doing well, with good yields expected. 

Overall, 73% of winter oats were in in good to excellent condition at the end of March, up from 52% at end-November and 37% a year ago. While the proportion in good or excellent condition is below March 2022’s 78% or March 2023’s 83%, it’s by a smaller margin than other winter cereals.

Oilseed rape

Oilseed rape crop condition is variable, but there is still potential for good yields where pests have not caused major damage. 

Cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) levels were low. But, while there was little adult flea beetle activity in autumn, extensive damage from larvae in stems is evident. Pigeon damage has also been a bigger issue for WOSR. Deer grazing is also a concern, with high numbers causing significant localised damage.

Overall, 57% of WOSR is in a good to excellent condition at the end of March, down from 73% at end-November. This is this still above the 31% seen at this point last year and below the levels seen in March 2022 (64%) and March 2023 (70%).

Spring drilling

Spring cereal drilling is well underway and most advanced for spring wheat and spring barley, which are being prioritised. An estimated 82% of spring wheat has been sown nationally, 67% of spring barley and 57% of spring oats. However, some crops are slow to emerge due to cold weather.

Only a small amount of spring oilseed rape has been sown so far.

• Use the drop down menu at the top of the first chart to view the crop conditions of a particular crop in each region.
  
  
• Use the drop down menus at the top of the second chart to view the percentage of a crop at each growth stage. The drop down menus can also be used to show the information for a particular region.

Next report scheduled for 2 May 2025.

Reports are also planned for 30 May and 27 June (subject to change).

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