Survey shows spring barley popularity continuing to grow, but OSR down

An increase in the area planted to spring barley but smaller wheat and oilseed rape areas are among the key findings from the survey
An increase in the area planted to spring barley but smaller wheat and oilseed rape areas are among the key findings from the survey

Spring barley popularity continues to grow in the UK, with latest figures showing that the area is estimated at 725,000ha - up 9 per cent from 2016.

An increase in the area planted to spring barley but smaller wheat and oilseed rape areas are among the key findings from AHDB’s 2017 Planting and Variety Survey.

The oilseed rape area in England and Scotland has declined to the lowest area since 2004.

Spring barley continues to benefit from a surge in interest in spring cropping, as part of efforts to tackle agronomic challenges, including the control of black-grass, plus as a replacement for previously lost oilseed rape crops.

Black-grass is one of the biggest challenges many growers face on their farm, and spring barley is one of the most competitive spring crop choice against black-grass.

The survey also showed that wheat area is estimated at 1.76Mha, a 3 per cent decrease from 2016.

Winter barley area is estimated at 428,000ha, 1 per cent lower than 2016. The area of oilseed rape in England and Scotland is estimated at 553,000ha, down 4 per cent from 2016.

And the area of oats in England and Scotland is estimated at 151,000ha, a 14 per cent increase from 2016.

Helen Plant, AHDB Senior Analyst, said: “In addition to the agronomic challenges, the profitability of many winter crops was also poor when planting decisions were being made.

“Much of the rise in grain and oilseed prices seen last autumn occurred after planting was underway, giving less opportunity for growers to respond.”

Wheat

The East of England has reported a large drop in plantings of OSR
The East of England has reported a large drop in plantings of OSR

At 1.76Mha, the wheat area is estimated 3 per cent lower than in 2016.

The largest reductions were reported in the eastern regions of England, where black-grass remains a key challenge.

Additionally, when many growers were making their planting decisions for harvest 2017, UK wheat prices were still historically low, pressured by high global and UK wheat stocks.

Prices in eastern England and Scotland were particularly pressured by local supply and demand factors.

With smaller stocks expected to be carried over from 2016/17 and a smaller GB wheat area, yields will need to exceed 2016 levels for UK supplies to increase in 2017/18.

Barley

The winter barley area remains high in a historical context.

At 428,000ha, the area reported was just one per cent lower than 2016 and similar to the acreage estimated in earlier winter planting surveys by AHDB and the Scottish Government.

At 725,000ha, the spring barley area is estimated to be nine per cent larger than 2016 – the third year in a row the crop area has expanded.

The latest increase is primarily driven by greater areas in the East Midlands, South East and Eastern England.

This suggests that spring barley is benefiting from a continued and growing interest in spring cropping in efforts to control black-grass, plus as a replacement for previously lost oilseed rape crops.

Oilseed rape

The oilseed rape area in England and Scotland has declined for the fifth consecutive year to an estimated 553,000ha, the lowest area since 2004.

This is largely attributable to a sharp drop in the area reported in the East of England, which is likely a reflection of both the difficulties of controlling cabbage stem flea beetle and the very dry conditions last autumn.

The area declines in the east are partly offset by increases elsewhere, including the West Midlands and North West of England.

These gains were potentially stimulated by the rise in UK rapeseed prices recorded through summer and autumn 2016, which boosted the relative profitability of the crop (read more here).

Oats

At a combined 151,000ha, the total oat area across England and Scotland is up 14 per cent from 2016.

The Scottish area (35,000ha) is the largest since 1989, while the English area (116,000ha) is the largest since 2013.

The year-on-year increases for both countries are larger than those indicated by the winter planting surveys, suggesting that the total oat area has benefited from the general upward trend for spring crops.

In Scotland, reduced wheat plantings was likely a key factor. However, as the oat area is relatively small in comparison to that for other crops, estimations should be treated with additional caution.