NFUS survey declares mixed levels of success for Scotland’s stop start harvest

The NFUS survey, which is now in its 31st consecutive year, saw responses from more than 150 growers with a wide range of different experiences put forward. The information gathered provides great insight for the Scottish Government who corelate the data to produce ‘early crop estimates for Scotland’.

With such mixed responses one theme stood out as something everyone highlighted and that was the impact the weather had on home crops. The wet autumn and winter, followed by a late spring was described as ‘the toughest (growing season and harvest) in 30 years’ by one grower.

The let-up in persistent rain was noted as a blessing my many, the drier weather through mid- to late September providing an ample window to bring the harvest to a close. A vast differentiation in yields was also noted, wheat fluctuating between 6 t/ha in some areas to highs of 11 t/ha in others.

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The average yields so far based on NFUS survey responses:

Spring barley – 6.29 tonnes per hectare(t/ha)

Winter barley – 7.26 t/ha

Winter wheat – 8.51 t/ha

Spring oats – 6.96 t/ha

Oilseed rape – 3.45 t/ha

Rye – 7.0 t/ha