Cambridgeshire farmer is one of first to start harvesting OSR  

Based in Great Eversden, the agribusiness owner said that the crops have fared better than he expected given the poor weather; however, the ongoing catchy weather and lack of sun are causing problems this harvest season.   

Mr Peck added that he lost around 50% of his crops due to the extreme weather conditions affecting establishment.   

He said: “We’re currently harvesting oilseed rape. The first field, which is 44ha, has done 3.84 tonnes of wet weight, but after we dried it, it reduced to 3.1 tonnes.   

“Considering the difficult autumn, winter and spring we went through, the crop has done better than I budgeted for.    

“I reduced the expected tonnage in my budget in the spring down to 2.75 tonnes per hectare because I was concerned about the quality of the crops, but it has actually done better than we expected.”   

Getting on with the work

Mr Peck drilled his OSR on 18th August 2023. The moisture levels when he started harvesting earlier this week were at 14%, but have gone down to 11% thanks to a dry couple of days. The clock is ticking though, with further unsettled weather predicted.

He added: “We’ve made a start because we needed to get on with the work, but the weather’s not working in our favour.

“We’ve got the driers running and the staff working in the field, to get the crop in as soon as possible.

“The grain quality is 0–1 green seed per 100, which is under tolerance. The admixture is between 1.8–2.3%, but once it’s all dried, that will reduce.”

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