It wll come as little surprise to anyone that the second provisional estimates from the HGCA’s 2013 Cereal Quality Survey show a significant improvement in the wheat and barley grown compared to 2012.
The specific weight of 43,996 wheat samples tested so far averages 77.1kg/hl this year compared to 69.6kg/hl in 2012, while the average for 31,949 barley samples is 67.8kg/hl, up from 62.9kh/hl last year.
At 319, the average Hagberg falling number for the wheat samples is the highest since 1990, while the protein level averaged 12.3% (less than last year’s 12.5%,but well above the five-year average).
The 1.68% nitrogen content in the barley samples was the second highest recorded in the past five years, beaten only by the 1.71% seen in 2011.
The moisture contnts recorded refkect the excellent harvest weather, with the wheat samples averaging 14.7%, well below the five-year average of 15.2%, and barley averaging 14.9, again well below the 15.6% five-year mean.