Crop Updates: August 2024
Crop Updates
Our regular round up of the issues affecting crops around Scotland, summarises how crops are developing and what weather and other issues are affecting them. The update provides information on the progress with key field work activities as well as news on the pest, weed and disease problems being noted in crops. The health issues being seen in crops are a key part of the topical update and lets growers and agronomists adjust management practices appropriately.
29 August 2024
General Comments
Wet conditions have led to lots of reports of slugs so these may need management, based on bait trap results, to protect new crops. There is some lodging after wind and rain, particularly in oats. Spring barleys are ripening but heads are still standing more erect than expected even though grains are hard. Blight risk in potatoes remains high so keep sprays going right until haulms are completely dead.
With wet conditions over harvest the risk of ear diseases like fusariums and microdochium increases. On seed this can then lead to poor emergence and seedling blights so test seed and treat appropriately.
Regional Comments
ORKNEY
Harvest has started, albeit for early ripening Bere and conventional barley for crimping only. The bulk of the spring barley crop will not be ripe for another couple of weeks due to its May sowing date. Of late the weather has been mixed, making it difficult to harvest arable silage without damaging the under sown grass. Windows for direct reseeds have also been very narrow. Grass is beginning to disappear a little quicker than normal. Hopefully we will still get some dry and warm weather to keep the cattle outside for a few weeks yet.
CAITHNESS
Spring barley harvest is underway in the area with early indications of excellent yields. A lot of spring barley has also now been sprayed off, while spring oats around the area are looking well ahead of last year. Winter crop preparation is also underway with ploughing in the past few days. Some potatoes in the area have also been sprayed off.
INVERNESS
The Inverness area has seen mixed weather continue over the past two weeks. However there has been sunny and windy spells which have allowed harvest to progress in the area. Spring barley harvest will be in the region of a quarter to a third complete. Initial reports are that yields are no more than average, but quality is good with generally low nitrogen levels and skinnings. Winter wheat in the area is in the ripening stage. OSR harvest is finished.
ABERDEENSHIRE
As everyone seems to be waiting for a settled period of dry sunny weather, crops are nearing harvest ripeness. I’m sure combines are all greased, serviced and ready to go, if not already harvesting in some cases. Winter wheat in many cases is ready for harvest before spring barley, but this depends on sowing date and location. Pre harvest desiccants have been applied to many spring crops now, in between the showers and windy weather we seem to have been experiencing recently. Most winter oilseed rape crops have been sown now, and beginning to emerge, with slugs appearing to be a major pest this year (mainly due to the wet year), so attention needs to be paid during the critical emergence phase with slug pellets applied across whole fields, rather than just field margins. Livestock farmers have been busy with 2nd cut silages (between the showers) and seed potato producers have been de-haulming crops. Here’s hoping we get this anticipated dry sunny weather.
BANFF & BUCHAN
The changeable weather continues to cause problems for growers. Winter wheats and spring barleys are slowly ripening off with several growers looking to tidy up their wheat before starting on the barley. The proverbial “sunshine in a can” is also being applied as growers look to even up ripening and tidy up any weeds with couch a problem on some farms again this year. Establishing EFA cover crops may be more challenging this year if harvest is delayed. Attention is also turning to 2025’s crops with oilseed rapes being sown and indeed starting to emerge. Most crops have received a pre-emergence for weed control and slug pellets are also being applied as a precaution with weather conditions ideal for slugs. Ploughs are also being kept busy preparing for winter barley and wheat crops and with decent levels of moisture in the soil, pre-emergence herbicides should be effective. Potato crops are being chopped down and the first seed crops will be lifted soon. The weather is also affecting livestock farmers, beef finishers are starting to take cattle inside with grass growth struggling. Lambs are appearing in their place however to help tidy up grassland.
FORFAR
Combines have been snatching spring barley between the showers and quality and yields appear better than we may have hoped for given the late drilling dates. Many wheat and barley crops are ready to harvest but await the better weather which is forecast. Many Angus farmers establish oilseed rape after spring barley which means that there is quite a bit of seed still in the bag as we enter September.
PERTHSHIRE
Not much winter wheat or spring barley has been harvested in August this year and most crops are now awaiting the combine knife whenever the weather allows. Yields of winter crops have not been exciting but early signs are more promising for spring barley. Winter oilseed rape sown is now at cotyledon or 1st leaf and growing away well in the moist conditions. After last years’ experience there is more of a push towards early sown wheat this year with some already in the ground and others who would drill if they had the seed.
FIFE
Winter barley and WOSR crops are all harvested, with some new season WOSR sown and emerging. A few early fields of winter wheat and spring barley have been harvested but in the main weather has stopped any progress. Most spring barley crops are only coming ripe this week, so hopefully a more favourable weather forecast for the second half of this week will allow harvest to kick-off in earnest!
STIRLINGSHIRE
Harvest has come to a complete halt due to the wet weather. Winter oilseed rape harvest is complete, and the winter wheat harvest has started. Spring barleys are approaching harvest although like the remaining winter wheats, they are getting more discoloured by the day as this wet weather continues. Some crops are starting to lodge in patches. Winter beans are now turning black as the chocolate spot kills them off. The ground is now getting very wet which will make harvest more difficult when it resumes. Many hay bales are still lying out in increasingly wet fields. Where oilseed rape has been sown, it is at one to two true leaves, looking clean and has escaped any flea beetle damage.
BORDERS
The unsettled weather is making harvest a stop start affair. There are winter oats to still finish combining, a good start has been made in wheat particularly in 2nd wheats with yields ranging 7-9t/ha. Straw volumes are average and those on the hunt for straw in the bout will be hoping the more settled forecast for next week will encourage wheat growers not to automatically chop the straw. Visually from the road spring barley harvest still looks some days away with many upright heads however infield inspection reveals that the grains in these heads are ripe. Some spring barley on light land has been cut with reports of yields around 7t/ha, good nitrogen levels and plenty straw. Oilseed rape has been sown, but not yet through the ground.
LANARKSHIRE
The weather remains turbulent with sunshine between showers. Recent weeks have seen thunderstorms in some parts of Lanarkshire. As ever, farmers are resilient and are managing to complete harvest operations when the weather allows, however, spring barley is slow and there is yet to be a crop harvested in the area.
STRANRAER
The unsettled weather continues to delay and frustrate harvest progress. Winter barleys have ranged between 2.9-4 ton per acre. There is winter wheat ready to be harvested if weather would improve but at least those crops which have been harvested have yielded well and produced plenty of straw. The first of spring barleys harvested have been around 2.3t/acre averaging 20% moisture. With spring barleys now ready to harvest, typically 2-3 weeks late, a break in the weather is desperately needed to get crops lifted.
Spring oats have taken a battering from recent winds with many crops already shedding and a few flat crops. The harvest is also delaying progress with many grass reseeds planned to follow wheats unlikely to go in due to wet ground conditions and no OSR sown yet. Local weather stations are showing varied rainfall this year, with many well ahead of the average rainfall but by far the most telling statistic is that it has rained 148 days out of 234, with only 3 occasions where there has been 6 dry days in a row in 2024 and there hasn’t been a complete dry week since September last year. One farmer has noted that his winter wheat and WOSR has had a record 1500mm of rain from sowing to harvest.
Posted by SAC Consulting on 03/09/2024
