Scotland’s cereal farmers have had one of their best harvests for years, with yields and quality much improved, according to first estimates released yesterday by the Scottish Government.
It confirmed views expressed so far by the grain trade. Spring barley output is forecast up 15% to 1.7million tonnes, while winter barley is expected to show a 6% gain to 294,000 tonnes.
Many growers switched into oats in response to last year’s poor autumn which prevented crops being sown. Production from it is unsurprisingly up by 80% to 195,000 tonnes after a 34% increase in area and yield. Marketing the crop is, however, going to be a challenge as grain farmers’ co-operative Openfield warned recently, especially for oats not on contract.
Wheat and oilseed rape production are the only two crops to show a drop. But that was widely anticipated as the weather in the autumn prevented farmers sowing wheat on tens of thousands of acres. Wet conditions over winter and early spring also saw thousands of acres of both crops ploughed up as they failed to establish.
Wheat output is forecast down 6% to 630,000 tonnes. The area planted was down 14%, but yields rose 8% on 2012.
Oilseed rape tonnages are expected to drop 25% to 104,000 tonnes after an 8% reduction in area. But yields are up 6%.
The harvest yields this year are in stark comparison to last year when the poor weather saw them plummet to their lowest levels in nearly two decades. Government is anticipating overall yields are up 11%, with total Scottish cereal output increasing 250,000 tonnes at 2.8million.
They also anticipate it will take at least two years for overall arable output to return to levels seen before the harvest of 2012.
The statisticians pointed to some areas suffering from drought in the heat and sunshine of July, an issue already raised by the trade which has pointed to problems in light land in Moray, the eastern Highlands and Banffshire.
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said the estimates were welcome news, adding: “After 12 months of meteorological misery, this summer was sensational and provided ideal conditions for growing crops. Although Scottish cereals are still being harvested and these figures are provisional estimates, today’s expert predictions of a partial recovery after last year’s dreadful drop in production is good news for Scottish agriculture.”
NFU Scotland combinable crops committee chairman Andrew Moir, who farms at Thornton Mains, Laurencekirk, said: “Scottish farmers have made the most of almost ideal sowing conditions this autumn and areas of wheat and oilseed rape are likely to be much closer to the norm. That gives the potential for a more balanced Scottish harvest next autumn.”