Survey shows wheat yields 7 per cent up on five-year average

First wheat

First-wheat yields were 4 per cent higher than the five-year average at 10t/ha, with second wheats 15 per cent better at an average of 9.8t/ha.

The survey covers 110,600ha, spread over 137 farms mainly located in the East of England, Midlands and South East England.

Tom FitzGerald, Strutt & Parker consultant and agronomist, said: “2019 was a year characterised by good establishment of autumn crops, but with low winter rainfall. This meant that spring crops could be drilled far earlier than in 2018, which undoubtedly helped the uplift in yields.

“The wetter weather from the start of June helped to secure yields of most crops, although frequent rain events and showers during the harvest period did mean harvest was generally slow and many growers saw increased drying costs as a result.

“Looking at the crops in terms of their financial performance, the dry spring allowed many growers to reduce their fungicide spend on wheat crops considerably, relying more on varietal resistance than on chemistry. But despite this fall in variable costs and significantly higher yields, net margins are likely to be lower as a consequence of lower commodity prices than in 2018.”