Harvest update: Oat yields below average in Northamptonshire 

Mr Aveling grows oats, wheat and barley on 80 hectares of farmland in Towcester. He recently started harvesting RGT Southwark winter oats at 14% moisture level, having drilled the crop in October. 

According to Mr Aveling, there are no issues regarding grain quality, except the thin shape. 

At the time of writing he had harvested 15ha of oats, with 65ha of spring oats, spring barley and winter wheat still to cut. 

The Northamptonshire farmer said: “Harvest definitely started earlier this year; a couple of weeks at least would be my approximation. 

“Unfortunately, the yields are below average. It’s been about 5t/ha, which would be approximately 50% down on yield.  

“We also noticed that heavier land crops have fared a lot better than the lighter land crops.” 

Mr Aveling has recently appeared on the Farmers Guide Podcast to talk about the highs and lows of his diversifications over the past 20 years.

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