Page 20 - Issue 74 Online

ALLPRESS FARMS

– HARVEST TIME

arvest time is upon us once more. depends on the moisture in the grain. We
Leek harvest continues throughout harvest our wheat at under 15% moisture
Hthe year, but the timeline of (determined by a specialised moisture
harvesting our remaining crops runs meter). Once the wheat reaches this level,
through from wheat and oats to onions it is ready to harvest.
to maize, with sugar beet bringing up the
rear. All of these are between late July and
November/December, therefore a busy Wheat harvest went well this year
time of year. with higher yields than expected
Wheat harvest went well this year with
higher yields than expected. We have
specialised teams who work in tandem so We have our own combine, which is stored
that we can get the harvest done as quickly during the rest of the year, but is brought
as possible. There is always a combine out in mid-July for a full MOT to ensure that
driver and a few tractor/trailer operators everything is working correctly and to have
who haul the grain from the fields to the a proper clean-down after storage to get
store. The drought has been interesting to rid of any dust that may have accumulated.
deal with, but wheat is a hardy crop and This also enables it to reach optimum
can normally manage without additional performance during the weeks of harvest
irrigation. (this year we managed to harvest all 286
We generally grow winter wheat (for feed) hectares in just under three weeks).
as it is one of the few crops that grows As you will be aware, combine harvesters
easily during the winter months. It is drilled are exceptionally large machines and do not
in October/November and ready for harvest travel at speed. It is necessary for them to
in late July/early August. Harvest date travel on public roads at times when a field

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