Cereal and oilseed rape harvest - first estimates: 2018

First estimates suggest a fall in the total 2018 harvest

2018 was a difficult year with unfavourable weather conditions experienced in winter 2017, as well as spring and early summer of 2018. However, crops that were sown later in spring have been seen to be doing better than those sown earlier.

This is a similar story to what was suggested at the start of the year. The December Agricultural Survey indicated that winter planting was down due to wet weather and the previous harvest staying in the ground for longer, which had a knock-on effect to 2018.

Commonly used terms

Hectares: the official measurement of agricultural land. One hectare is 10,000 m ² or roughly the same as a full-size rugby pitch.

Production: the total amount of crops that are produced measured in metric tonnes.

Yield: the amount of produce, weighed in tonnes, that is harvested per hectare of land.