Crop updates: September 2025
Our regular round up of the issues affecting crops around Scotland, summarises how crops are developing and what weather and other issues are affecting them. The update provides information on the progress with key field work activities as well as news on the pest, weed and disease problems being noted in crops. The health issues being seen in crops are a key part of the topical update and lets growers and agronomists adjust management practices appropriately.
12 September 2025
General Comments
While malting barley marketing is proving onerous and a legacy of this year’s harvest, there are other positives around yield performance in general, albeit with marked local and regional variability. The early harvest has undoubtedly taken the pressure off the turnaround time available to get new crops in the ground and the decisions to push ahead and get rape established appear to be paying off with good emergence reported. Some will be deferring a head long rush into cereal planting but will be mindful too that October often brings very notably wetter weather. Meanwhile potato lifting continues unimpeded but there is also mention regionally that livestock forage availability is tighter than ideal for this time of year.
Regional Comments
ORKNEY
Apart from a handful of later sown fields, the spring barley harvest is all but complete in what must be one of the easiest seasons in living memory. With the settled weather bringing plentiful dry, sunny days and the occasional fresh breeze, the combining of grain and baling of straw has been very straightforward. There are no rutted fields or patches of crop left uncut so - often found in a normal year when areas become too wet to hold up machinery. Yields of grain and straw have been quite variable with much influence stemming from date of sowing and stage of root development when the dry spring weather commenced. Many farms have taken advantage of the early harvest to plough stubbles and sow new grass reseeds. Several are also trialling the stitching in of green cover crops to see if it is a potential EFA option for 2026.
CAITHNESS
Another excellent period weatherwise for the area which has seen the majority of spring crop tidied up, with straw also baled in great condition and in a lot of cases, off the field. Winter sowing is well underway with some growers finished, again in great conditions. Feed barley growers concerned with rejected malting barley coming into the market, driving down the feed price. The consequences of enhanced greening requirements for so many who have avoided EFA in the past also hitting home now.
MORAY
As the weather starts to turn distinctively autumnal, although still bright and dry, the last few fields of spring barley are being harvested bringing to an end a challenging growing season with its extended dry spell and major quality issues. The increase in oilseed rape planting is clear to see all around the county and crops are emerging well. Ground is also being prepared for winter barley as winter barley malting contracts have been secured. Some producers are also making a final cut of silage.
ABERDEENSHIRE
Although the weather has generally been good it’s been a bit more unsettled of late with some gratefully received showers of rain. This has been essential for newly sown oilseed rape and enabled germination and establishment. Flea beetle damage has also been seen. The lack of moisture has also led some growers to delay their usual sowing date. Grain dressers have also been working overtime recently as growers try to meet the spec for malting barley and reduce the level of screenings, enabling some loads to be shifted. Others have just not been able to meet the spec, and their barley has been confined to the feed market. Livestock producers have also been starting to feel the lack of grass catching up with them and some producers are feeding straw or other forage in field. Tatties are also starting to be lifted now too. Winter barley crops are getting sown now, and there are reports of some wheat getting sown now too, although most are thinking it is still a bit early.
BANFF & BUCHAN
Harvest is very much on the home straight most areas finished although there are still oats and barley to finish on the heavy land to the east of the area. The spring barley has been like the curate’s egg- while harvesting conditions and yields of grain and straw have been good and indeed better than hoped, quality is on the whole worse than average and prices are as poor as they have been for a number of years. High screenings are causing headaches for growers – at best receiving deductions to their malting barley price, at worst the crop ends up on the feed heap, with a large drop in potential income.
Despite a few showers recently, ground conditions are still very dry, with oilseed rape crops slow to get away with establishment patchy in some cases. Winter barley is now starting to be sown with winter wheats to follow. Cover crops including those for EFA are also being sown. Potato lifting continues at pace with conditions meaning that establishing following crops should be easier than normal. The new guidance for EFA measures for 2026 are now starting to be incorporated into cropping decisions, with more growers also starting to plan ahead for the upcoming changes.
FORFAR
Showery weather has seen oilseed rape crops get off to a good start but has equally seen volunteer cereals, particularly in min tilled or direct sown fields get off to an equally good start which are getting sprayed off at present. Flea beetle pressure is beginning to build and whilst most crops are well advanced there are some later sown fields which remain vulnerably which may need to receive an insecticide. Drills have been taking advantage of good weather and drilling winter wheat and winter barley with some holding off to a more traditional start date.
PERTHSHIRE
Combining is finished now although a fair bit of spring barley remains sitting on farm with high levels of screenings which some are able to dress out and others are having to sell as feed. A few people have alter rotations to add an extra field of oilseed rape or winter wheat at the expense of spring barley for 2026. Oilseed rape has mostly been early drilled into good conditions this year and is now off to a strong start. Drills are now moving onto winter barley and winter wheat.
FIFE
The last few fields of spring barley and beans are being harvested between rain showers. Barley screenings are still a hot topic with some folk dressing barley and getting malt loads away while others struggle to get the barley shifted as feed. Beans seem to have yielded well but bruchid beetle damage can be found quite easily. 2026 crops of oilseed rape have come through the ground well with little signs of pest damage so far. Muck spreading, ploughing and winter barley seeding has kicked off over the last week with good looking seedbeds being made and pre-emergent weed control applied. Warm and moist soils should allow for good establishment and good weed control.
STIRLINGSHIRE
Harvest in Stirlingshire is nearly complete with spring beans being combined as we write this, all types of tillage underway with good ground conditions throughout the county, OSR is well established, and winter wheats are just being sown, while flea beetle pressure is noted in some OSR, establishment remains good with volunteers as the main emerging weed challenge. There is a lot of cover crops following the earlier harvest of the winter crops are looking strong. On the grassland front there are sixth cut silage nearing ready on some dairy farms.
LOTHIANS
Starting to see more changeable weather now with nighttime temperatures that little bit colder too. The occasional heavy, but intermittent, showers, over the last couple of weeks have been welcomed, particularly for the oilseed rape crops still establishing. What rain there has been hasn’t interfered with field operations; straw continues to be cleared from field stacks, endriggs and tramlines subsoiled, fields ploughed, and early wheats drilled into min-tilled seedbeds. SEPA continue to class the river catchment areas of Esk, Tyne and Almond at Moderate Scarcity.
BORDERS
The 2025 harvest in the Scottish Borders finished early, with many farmers gaining good yields. However, spring barley has shown issues with high screenings and elevated nitrogen levels, impacting quality and marketability. With harvest now complete, most oilseed rape drilling has also finished, and are already emerging well. Attention is now shifting to autumn drilling, with winter wheat and winter barley just beginning to go into the ground. Meanwhile, potato lifting has started across the region. Rain has been welcome, and although an average of 25mm in the past couple of weeks, more consistent rainfall is expected.
AYRSHIRE
The past fortnight has seen the tail end of harvesting activity going on across Ayrshire. Grassland farmers are looking for a dry weather window to bring in the 4th cut of silage and arable farmers are getting towards the end of their harvesting and bailing. Heavy downpours have reduced the availability of land-trafficable days over the past weeks compared to the previous fortnight. The temperature has been on average 16°C with highs of 24°C and lows of 11°C. Conditions have been good for the establishment of winter crops with some early sewn crops at the emergence stage having been sown in August.
Posted by SRUC on 18/09/2025
