How much Harvest has been lost/abandoned in Scotland?

sheepwise

Member
Location
SW Scotland
Here in the West of Scotland we have experienced the worst summer that I can remember with hardly a dry harvest day. We have 18 acres of barley still uncombined and probably now with this torrential rain it will only be salvaged by baling and wrapping.Up until Friday we also had 20 acres of spring oats (undersown with Italian for greening measure} still growing but we managed to get that mowed and chopped as very wet wholecrop on top of the pit. We are probably luckier than some as we had 15 acres of winter barley we got good grain and straw from at the beginning of August although the stubble turnips sown afterwards are pretty much a disaster being soured out with the constant rain.We had the contractor a month ago and did 20 acres of spring barley then, but regrettably allowed him to go away to keep other customers happy with the promise of being back in a week when our oats would be ripe to do with the rest of the barley.His combines are all sitting redundant on other farms with 300 acres uncut. Our silage situation has fairly been helped by getting the oat wholecrop into the pit but it will still be a challenge to see us through to spring especially now with a shortage of feeding straw.Again we were probably luckier than many in that although short on bulk our silage is of good enough quality as we were able to get the contractor for both cuts in rare weather windows. Everyone refers back to 1985 as the worst year in living memory but many around here consider 2017 much worse because in 1985 it did dry up in October which allowed most harvest and silage to be salvaged.I know of farmers this year who have had cows housed since July and no second cut in the pit.There are even some horror stories of some on really wet ground having no forage at all being forced to sell their stock.Probably in 1985 many farmers were dependant on making hay whereas now we don't think twice about getting the baler and wrapper out.
So just wondering what the situation is around the country as I know the north/east has also had it bad.
 

Jim75

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Easter ross
Know of at least one pace waiting for first cut and another for 2nd cut silage. Usually a late cut but not this late. Some fields been cut since end of august still in the bout greening up :sleep:
 

Sharpy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Round here most of the barley is still to combine, including some wholecrop. Most of the barley is on drier ground and the farmers have their own combines. Only reason one guy got his 70 acres is because the contractor was pushing him! At a very rough guess 200 acres ish. A lot of 2nd cut untouched. Ground beyond saturation point. And yes its worse than 85. With todays kit 85 would have been a stroll.
 

grainboy

Member
Location
Bedfordshire
Would this not help ?
£1200 plus vat
Full advert in classified
 

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puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
There is some 3rd cut silage to make round here and straw lying which will never be baled. Our fields are now saturated although we have been wetter in previous autumns when some rows of 2nd cut were under water the next day and big bales just stacked in a corner as too wet to put on a trailer.
The difference this year is that there has been almost no settled weather since June. However we have more silage off fewer acres and some good hay for sheep and horses partly due to helpful contractors and constantly looking at a weather forecast
 

SMID

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Sorn Ayrshire
28 acres of spring barley as near as written off now. 20 acres arable silage undersown with a permanent grass mixture , sheep grazing possibly, we housed all the cattle on the 1st week of Sept theirs any amount of grass Literally wouldnt carry a quad bike at the moment . Since the Highland show theirs been 2 periods of 2 and a half days dry and 3 with 2 dry days even when it was dry it has been dull . edit normally we,d have 30 + acres of winter barley in
 
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Sharpy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Meant to say earlier, we have been feeding silage from I think the start of August, most of the beasts housed for a month now. Fields were getting destroyed. Carryover silage from last year gone a month ago. Silage yield down but we got most reasonably good, apart from 9 acre smash and grabbed full of second growth and a bit dirty and 3 acre cut then baled 24 days later, untouched for 3 weeks as too wet to travel.
Most dairy boys here have got second cut but few beef men have got theirs. Some have got nothing at all. Have heard third hand about herds being sold due to lack of fodder.
And to add to the worries slurry is not spread nor dung due to lack of cleared or even firm ground. Most stores are half to 3/4 full. As @SMID says even a quad wont move.
What now.
 

miniconnect

Member
Location
Argyll
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We've 30 acre of our spring barley to do. Looking like a write off. Down flat, will never dry unless we have a week of great drying days. Could wholecrop it. But ground below too wet to travel.
Still a lot of acres to combine for customers. Combine hasn't moved for approx 4 weeks. Chopper not moved for 3. Fortunate we got our winter barley and 2nd cut in 3 dry days, a Sunday Monday Tuesday in late July.
Many weren't so lucky.

Most people agree it's now worse than 85. Unless your well advanced in years it's worst in living memory. With only 1938?! (I think I was told) being worse.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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