NFU launches 2013 harvest survey

NFU Cymru will use this week’s Denbigh and Flint show to encourage members, across Wales, to help answer important questions about the 2013 harvest, by taking part in the annual harvest survey which is being launched today.

The survey of combinable crops, available online from today, is the first source of published data on production levels in the UK, and is published up to a month before Defra’s official statistics. It follows on from the UK becoming a net importer of wheat for the first time in 20 years in 2012.

Reflecting issues such as the effect of the extreme weather on cereals and oilseeds, the lower winter crop areas and increased planting of spring crops, and the effect difficult field conditions have had on the crop, the survey looks to get as full a picture as possible of the wheat crop in England and Wales by mid-September and the year’s harvest of major combinable crops to date by early October.

Arable farmer and NFU Cymru Clwyd County Chairman, Ivor Beech said, “Without the information provided by members it would have simply been impossible to generate an accurate estimate in the past as we rely on members’ input in order to maintain our accurate track record with harvest results.

“As with last year, the survey is online, making it easy for members to record the crucial information that goes into painting a picture of the 2013 harvest on a national scale.


“We need as many of our members as possible to fill the survey in, as without their input, it simply would not be possible.”

Respondents to this year’s survey will also have a chance of winning a of GrainSafe temperature monitor for stored grain (no more climbing over grain to take a temperature reading, the Grainsafe Smartprobe is designed to be left in the grain and gives a constant reading via LED lights, so you can see in an instant if the temperature is within a safe zone).