First Estimates of the Cereal and Oilseed Rape Harvest 2014

Relationship Between Area, Yield and Production

Cereal and oilseed rape crop areas represent the amount of area that has been used to grow a particular crop, which is intended for combine harvesting and the production of grain or oilseeds. Area estimates are derived from the June Agricultural Census and specifically exclude any areas of cereals which are not intended for combine harvesting. Whole crop cereals are harvested whole (i.e. without extracting the grain) and are used as a source of animal feed.

Average yields are expressed in tonnes per hectare and represent the amount of cereal grain or oilseed that is extracted from one hectare of combine harvested area. As the moisture content of cereals and oilseeds can vary from year to year and farm to farm, depending on the level of rainfall, average yields are adjusted to a standard moisture content of 14.5 per cent for cereals and nine per cent for oilseeds. This adjustment ensures there is consistency in estimates of the amount of dry matter which can be extracted from cereal grain and oilseeds.

Production estimates are derived by multiplying crop areas (in hectares) and average yields (in tonnes per hectare). They represent the total tonnage of cereal grain and oilseed that is combine harvested from the planted area. This tonnage does not include the weight of straw and other plant material which is produced as a by-product and utilised for other purposes.

When discussing production and area we are referring to estimated totals. When discussing yield we are referring to estimated averages.