Very little barley of malting standard in hard harvesting week  

Current improved weather will help growers to complete grain harvesting, but it will take longer to gather straw.

Teagasc advisers say tillage farmers were forced this week to harvest at high grain moistures, in order to make harvest progress, but about 20% of grain was still unharvested by mid-week.

Costs and crop increased due to high moisture, poor ground conditions, lodged crops, broken heads, and lost grains.

Very little of the barley harvested in the past week made malting grade, according to Teagasc.

Current improved weather will help growers to complete harvesting, but it will take longer to gather straw, with a large acreage still on the ground by mid-week.

 Teagasc advisors and growers fear that a significant proportion of the straw crop may not be saved. A growing number of farmers were choosing to chop straw rather than try to save it.

Meanwhile, high quality imported straw suitable for feed is being offered by some companies.