AS HARVEST 2021 progresses, the signs are that this year has been a good one for growers – but NFU Scotland wants a bit more detail than that, and is urging farmers to complete its 2021 harvest survey.

Launching the survey, the union explained that the more it knows, the better placed it will be to hold discussions with industry and government.

Combinable Crops Committee chair Willie Thomson said: “We need to know what is going on across Scotland, otherwise we rely on data from the major cereal growing areas of the UK, which doesn’t always best represent our members’ businesses.”

The figures provided will also be used to add weight to NFU and AHDB’s harvest forecasts, and will be shared with both the Scottish and UK Governments to provide the most accurate harvest forecasts.

NFUS crops policy manager David Michie added: “This information helps us identify regional issues that could bubble up further down the line. The hot, dry summer in the west has forced some farm businesses to start feeding this year’s silage, which could make grain availability very regionally important this winter. The information provided by the survey will be incredibly valuable to our regional and wider policy team.”

The survey only asks for crop yields and areas, takes about five minutes to complete, and should be carried out when harvest is finished, or nearly finished. union members who complete this year’s survey before the September 26 deadline will have the chance to win a bottle of whisky.

With harvest ahead of schedule, the union urged farmers right across Scotland to take a few minutes to complete its survey, stressing that a few minutes of time multiplied up across farms throughout Scotland would add up to a powerful data source that could be used for the benefit of all.

The survey can be completed here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6NF6QFV