Drier weather means a quick start to GB harvest: Grain market daily

• UK feed wheat futures (Nov-24) fell £0.95/t yesterday, ending the session at £190.80/t. The May-25 contract closed at £202.10/t, gaining £0.30/t over the same period.
• Global wheat markets saw little change yesterday, following support on Wednesday on the back of poor European harvest results. French producers group AGPB said on Tuesday that the country’s wheat crop may only reach 26 Mt this season, a level not seen since the 1980s (LSEG).
• Paris rapeseed futures (Nov-24) closed yesterday at €472.50/t, down €5.00/t from Wednesday’s close. The May-25 contract ended the session at €474.00/t, down €7.00/t over the same period.
• European rapeseed futures followed US soyabeans down yesterday. Forecasts of cooler and wetter weather across key soyabean growing regions in the US is expected to improve crop prospects.

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Earlier today, AHDB published the first harvest progress report of 2024, covering the beginning of harvest up to 31 July.

Harvest conditions have improved considerably in the past week following a catchy start. Intermittent rain earlier in the summer has given way to mostly warm, dry weather allowing winter crop harvesting to progress well.

In total, 85% of the GB winter barley harvest is complete. This is well ahead of the same time last year, when harvest was 48% complete, and the five-year average of 51% complete at this point in the season.

Similarly, 73% of the winter oilseed rape harvest is complete. At the same point last harvest, just 21% had been harvested. This year’s pace is also well ahead of the five-year average of 29% complete.

It is perhaps not surprising to see the percentage completion of harvest for these crops being at a higher rate of completion than previous years, due to both the favourable weather in the past week, and the smaller overall crop area to harvest following the wet planting and growing season.

Anecdotal reports suggest that small areas of winter wheat and spring barley have been harvested. Results used for today’s report also showed a small proportion of oats have been cut, though as data is very limited, we have no published information on these crops as of yet.

Yield and quality

For winter barley, early yield indications vary greatly from 5.3-8.5 t/ha, averaging 6.2 t/ha. This is down 12% on the UK five-year average. Better yields have been seen in the East of England, while the East Midlands saw the greatest fall on average yields so far. Specific weights are coming in between 59-72 kg/hl. Screenings are a little lower than normal due to a smaller grain size. Though nitrogen content is generally low, ranging from 1.3-1.6%. Moisture has also varied, with the higher levels seen in Yorkshire and the Humber, and lower levels in the Eastern region.

For oilseed rape, yield variation is also significant. GB yields range from 2.0-3.6 t/ha, and average 2.9 t/ha, down 10% on the UK five-year average. Oil content is currently ranging between 43-46%, though there are reports of small seeds. Moisture content is averaging 8.3%, ranging from 6.7% in the East, to 10.2% in the North West.

See the full harvest progress report.

Please note that these harvest progress reports are separate from AHDB’s Recommended Lists harvest results data.

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