UK: Yorkshire wheat quality hit by rain
By the end of August, more than half of Yorkshire’s wheat crop would normally have been cut, but this year it is only about 20 per cent done. It is estimated that many farmers will lose about a fifth of their potential earnings sources say.
The director of crop marketing at the Home Grown Cereals Authority, Alastair Dickie, said the financial implications of a ruined harvest could be massive.
He said: “In this country we produce about 4.4 million tonnes of milling wheat. Around 400,000 tonnes of that are produced in Yorkshire. If this crop turns into feed-quality wheat, then the financial loss could be huge.”
Local farmers are counting the cost of one of the wettest Augusts on record as this year's wheat crop has been left to lose its value in the field. A bumper crop had been expected, but recent heavy rainfall has made it all but impossible to harvest.
Henry Sutton, who farms near Filey, said: “The problem is it was at such a vulnerable stage, and we couldn’t get on with it.
“A lot of our wheat is grown for milling, but it’s no longer any good, which reduces it to animal feed. I’ll be getting £35 to £40 a tonne less money.
“Now, when we can get on, there’s no sun so we can’t get the moisture out without putting it through a dryer, so that’s another extra cost.”
The director of crop marketing at the Home Grown Cereals Authority, Alastair Dickie, said the financial implications of a ruined harvest could be massive.
He said: “In this country we produce about 4.4 million tonnes of milling wheat. Around 400,000 tonnes of that are produced in Yorkshire. If this crop turns into feed-quality wheat, then the financial loss could be huge.”
Local farmers are counting the cost of one of the wettest Augusts on record as this year's wheat crop has been left to lose its value in the field. A bumper crop had been expected, but recent heavy rainfall has made it all but impossible to harvest.
Henry Sutton, who farms near Filey, said: “The problem is it was at such a vulnerable stage, and we couldn’t get on with it.
“A lot of our wheat is grown for milling, but it’s no longer any good, which reduces it to animal feed. I’ll be getting £35 to £40 a tonne less money.
“Now, when we can get on, there’s no sun so we can’t get the moisture out without putting it through a dryer, so that’s another extra cost.”
