Harvest progress report: 4 August 2025
Each Monday during harvest we are sharing the first-hand accounts of farmers across the UK.
Harvest is progressing rapidly across the country, with many regions now well into wheat cutting and some moving on to spring crops, while Scotland and the North braces for the impact of Storm Floris. Here’s what we heard on the ground over the past week:
South
Harvest progress in the South has advanced well. In Kent, barley, OSR and wheat are all complete, marking an early finish. In Hertfordshire, the wheat harvest has wrapped up, though yields for milling varieties have been mixed.
Farmers in Dorset completed wheat last week and are preparing to start on spring barley, while in Buckinghamshire, the farmers we spoke to suggest their wheat harvest is about to begin. In Surrey, farmers are finishing up harvesting spring barley, with some preparing to move on to spring beans. Straw has been short for many farmers, with one even opting to bale beans to make up the shortfall.
East
In Essex, most farms have finished harvesting wheat and beans, though some farmers reported they are still cutting OSR. In Suffolk, the wheat harvest is nearly finished, with some growers reporting they are about to start beans.
Midlands
In Staffordshire, barley is all done, and wheat cutting has begun, but yields are very poor due to dry conditions. Leicestershire growers are reporting fantastic OSR results – the best in recent memory. The wheat harvest is now underway in Northamptonshire, while reports from Lincolnshire suggest spring barley will begin next week.
North
In Tyne and Wear, barley and OSR are complete. County Durham reports a strong season, with barley and OSR finished and wheat underway, averaging impressive yields of 10.9 t/ha. In South Yorkshire, barley has been good, and the first cuts of wheat look promising, with some growers noting they’ve never harvested wheat in July before! In Cheshire, wheat started last week, but spring barley, oats and beans are still waiting to be cut.
Scotland
Farmers in the Scottish Borders have finished up the OSR harvest. By contrast, we have heard reports in Angus and West Lothian that farmers finished winter barley last week and are now preparing to cut OSR. Meanwhile in Fife, the farmers we spoke to reported the winter barley harvest is underway.
