Early harvest a boost for seed producers
The early start to harvest this year has proved to be a real bonus for seed production businesses offering an extension to the usual very condensed processing window for autumn seed crops, writes Richard Torr.
At local seed producers Wynnstay, this has enabled production to be further advanced at the end of August than has been seen for many years.
We have the vast majority of our winter barley seed produced, as would normally be the case, but we were also able to start wheat production 10 to 14 days ahead of schedule. We have even been able to get the majority of our oats and Triticale seed processed in August, this is not something we would normally expect."
However, the story is not all rosy as most companies are reporting a later ordering pattern for autumn cereal seeds. The lack of decisions on farm could be down to a number of factors. There is some confusion over the newly introduced CAP reform regulations and for some the delayed harvest remains top priority.
It is also clear that the reduction in grain values and the legacy of last year's poor harvest are also taking away some of the enthusiasm towards ordering new crop seed. Whatever the cause for the delay, we urge growers to think about their seed requirements very soon. We can see a scenario where there will be a huge amount of business done in mid-September and even with an earlier start to production, seed companies will find it difficult to cope with logistics of getting the late seed orders on farm when it is required.
Another effect of the CAP reform will see a large increase in the local area of pulses as growers look to achieve their EFA points requirement through conventional cropping. However, some businesses are already sold out of spring beans for next year so the availability of seed may be a limiting factor in the expansion of some crops.
We are also expecting an increase in spring cropping nationally. This will be driven by growers looking to sow an area of spring crops to ensure they comply with the three crop ruling. However it is likely that some will move to spring sowing in an effort to combat the huge problems seen this year with grass weeds, particularly black-grass which was more widespread than ever in eastern and southern counties.
We grow our seed predominantly in Shropshire and Herefordshire where black-grass is not a widespread problem and believe that to be very important in keeping the spread of the weed at bay.
* Richard Torr is Seed Sales Manager of the Wynnstay Group PLC
