As May draws to a close, judicious baling contractors have all but completed the 2014 Miscanthus harvest at farms across the country. Feedback from our growers confirms that we are now moving huge tonnages of crop that meets moisture specification (16% or less*), and that there are only a handful of fields left to complete.
The advice for those few who are yet to bale is to hold firm. Above all, the most important concern should be baling dry to secure best prices, and not letting pressure to complete the harvest take over.
Due to the recent rain, any remaining cut crop in the field will now need a week of dry weather, and turning part-way through, before it achieves specification. Once it is ready, baling contractors may need to raise the pick-up tines a little to avoid collecting the very bottom of wet swaths.
Concerns about damaging emerging new shoots and therefore next year’s harvest are valid, but for the next few weeks at least, our advice is that the 2014 harvest must be the priority. Miscanthus is a resilient crop, and we have seen it continue to thrive even when healthy shoots are killed by frosts as late as mid-June.
After all, this is farming and farmers always have to contend with the weather. The Terravesta team is here to provide advice and support for any growers concerned about late baling, or any other aspect of Miscanthus farming. Get in touch today to speak to one of our expert “Miscanthus people”.
*PLEASE NOTE: Terravesta will accept crop with a moisture content of up to 23%, but only if the bales over 16% moisture are identified and separated on the farm and declared on the Harvest Declaration form. These 16-23% moisture content bales will be moved on the second wave of collections. Any bales over 16% moisture content that are left in the first wave of collections will be rejected by the pellet mill, so please do not mix loads!
