Shropshire Star

Top of the crops as harvest brings big yields

Harvest 2019 is well on the way with the weather causing various interruptions, a bit different to last year.

Published
David Roberts, of G.O. Davies (Westbury) Ltd grain merchants

Yields appear to be excellent, with barley reportedly yielding between 3.5 and 4 tonnes to the acre, oil seed rape 1.75 and 2.1 tonnes to the acre, and wheat a blistering five tonnes to the acre. Big crops by anybody’s estimation.

Perfect growing conditions have helped enormously but the agronomist in the office tells me it is all down to excellent agronomy advice!

On Monday evening the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced their latest estimates for American crop yield and plantings. These figures were long anticipated as it was widely believed that last month’s figures, which led to a price drop, were largely over estimated because USDA had not taken into account the very bad weather and consequent late plantings that they had had in the States.

The upshot of all that is that USDA stuck to their guns which led to a £3 drop on Monday evening followed by a £1 drop on Tuesday. So with record yields (potentially), limited export due to Brexit and the bioethanol plants out of operation, there is very limited upside to this market at the moment. The one shining star is oil seed rape which has been helped by currency and so prices are very healthy.

The big question is what will happen after October 31.

Last month I was asked to judge the Cleobury and Ludlow Farmers farms competition. Myself, Stuart Rogers and Brian Williams visited 16 farms over two days and saw a lot of excellent farming. The one farm that has stuck in my mind is a lady who is milking 39 cows in a cowshed. All the cows were in fine fettle and a joy to see. They all had names and it took me back to the late 60s and my grandfather's farm on Anglesey.

Now that was before we were in the Common Market. Is it likely that we will end up back there?

David Roberts, of G.O. Davies (Westbury) Ltd grain merchants