Archived News

17th August 2014

The Crusoe milling wheat has had record yields fairly consistently across 230 acres, with over four tonnes per acre which is good for our soil.

It was coming off the field last night at 15.7% moisture and was being stored with on- floor air circulation to reduce the moisture.

Some of our milling wheat is being sold to Glencore who then sell it to the millers.

Time will tell whether the higher yields have affected the Hagberg and protein levels.

The Hagberg Falling Number put simply, is the measurement in seconds that it takes a set quantity of grain to pass through a dome and the longer it takes the better the quality. A low Hagberg or speed of milling wheat would mean that dough would not rise. Milling wheat needs values above 250 or it will be rejected as milling wheat and can only be sold for feed wheat.

 French milling wheat has suffered with a wet summer and the quality is down therefore that wheat has gone to the feed wheat market instead and the global price has gone down.

A field that is prepared for an expected 3 tonne/acre yield would produce say 13% protein as the minimum for bread, but if the yield is higher the protein in the grain is diluted; if the protein is too low the miller will reject it.

The straw has been weathered and has smashed up more than usual as it passes through the combine.

Twenty acres of Barley is being harvested today between showers and this will be followed in the next few days by another 50 acres of wheat and finally the Oats which have gone down after last week’s heavy rain.

Today we hosted the Surrey novice ploughing training day organised by Mick Hill, with Ken Chappell and Stuart Rose giving their guidance and criticism which is invaluable to ploughmen and women especially as the ploughing match season begins next month. 

Ken Chappell and Christopher with his Massey Ferguson 135.