Harvest progress report: 7 July 2025

For the next few weeks, each Monday we will be sharing the first-hand accounts of farmers across the country as the UK harvest gets underway.

Last week, the first week of July, harvest kicked off in several regions, with winter barley leading the way. Farmers across the UK are reporting an early start—in some cases up to 10 days ahead of schedule. Oilseed rape (OSR) is not far behind, while for most, wheat is still a few weeks off.

Here’s a round-up of harvest progress from Hectare Trading users across the country.

South

In the South, winter barley harvest is expected to begin imminently. Sussex farmers are preparing to cut in the early part of the week, weather permitting. In Hampshire, combines have already been spotted on neighbouring farms, although not all are quite ready to join in.

OSR is maturing quickly in this region, with many crops expected to be ready by mid-July.

Wheat, however, is still some distance off, with the farmers we spoke to saying they’re “a few weeks away”.

Midlands

In the Midlands, some farms are already underway and others just days away. In Lincolnshire, one farmer reported harvesting malting barley this week. Further south in Cambridgeshire, one grower is planning to cut in the second week of July.

OSR is also progressing well, with some estimates the harvest will begin in 7–10 days.

Wheat remains two to three weeks away for most farms we spoke to in the Midlands.

North

Further north, winter barley is edging closer to harvest, with one farmer in Lancashire predicting that the first fields could be ready within the week.

In North Yorkshire, one farmer is planning on cutting wheat the first week of August.

Scotland

In Central Scotland, harvest remains two to three weeks away – but prospects are looking positive. OSR and winter wheat are expected to be really close together. The dryness has meant wheat looks short on straw, but the yield looks promising.