Harvest 24 Review: What the Winter Wheat Harvest Taught Us.

The 2024 harvest season delivered hard lessons for UK arable farmers, and winter wheat was no exception. The drilling challenges of 2023 tested the resilience of crops and growers alike.  

Yet, despite lower average yields - down to 8.41t/ha from 9.02t/ha in 2023 - winter wheat proved why it remains the backbone of UK cereal production by delivering the bulk of gross margin for the majority of arable farmers.  
 
My team & I create comprehensive Arable Reports each year, compiled from across the YAGRO Platform, to help farmers with decision-making and identifying trends. Today, I’d like to share some winter wheat analysis from our Harvest 24 Review with you.  

Understanding Costs of Production 

One of the standout findings this year was the significant decrease in winter wheat’s cost of production, driven by a 34.6% reduction in fertiliser £/ha. This led to an overall cost reduction of 19.5% per hectare and 16.9% per tonne compared to 2023.  

While this drop is a welcome reprieve, it’s worth noting that costs remain higher than pre-2019 levels - by 23.4% per hectare and 39.9% per tonne. 

Why the decrease in 2024? Our data shows nitrogen rates remained relatively stable, so it wasn’t due to reduced applications. However, the cost of proportional nitrogen itself fell from £1.14/kg in 2023 to £0.77/kg in 2024.  

Decisions, Decisions... 

Group One varieties like Skyfall struggled with quality issues this harvest, including low protein levels. This was largely attributed to nitrogen leaching from heavy rains which left little residual nitrogen in the soil. 

It seemed like many farmers ‘closed their cheque-books' when the 2023 autumn rainfall set in, and never invested meaningfully in what seemed like a depleted crop.  

However, those who returned to their fields and invested in spring applications often achieved milling premiums of up to £76 per tonne, proving the value of targeted input strategies. 

This highlights the importance of monitoring input costs and aligning them with crop potential. Especially for Group One's, with varieties like Champion and Skyfall receiving around 45% of their total spend as fertiliser (Charts 4 & 5). 

Varietal Performance in a Tough Year 

The wet conditions provided a tough test for all varieties, but it was also an opportunity to test their performance under stress.

LG Typhoon emerged as a standout, achieving the highest yield at 9.8t/ha while maintaining a low cost per tonne. This balance of efficiency and productivity makes it an appealing choice for growers focused on profitability.  
 
I fully encourage growers to assess the £/ha to £/t relationship of a variety before they select it. And do check out our full Harvest 24 Review for in-depth and up to date wheat varietal analysis. 

Lessons for the Future 

The data from 2024 underscores the importance of understanding your farm’s numbers. 

Fertiliser has become the only real ‘variable’ cost, with the other costs remaining much more fixed, meaning precision farming technologies like variable rate applications could offer significant savings while optimising yields.  

Is Your Farm Trying to Tell You Something? 

This year’s insights are a powerful reminder of the value of accurate, accessible farm data. 

If you could see your own farm operations in this detail, what might you discover?  

The Harvest 24 Review is designed to help farmers benchmark not just their performance but their decisions, equipping them to navigate the uncertainties of modern farming. 

Download the full free Harvest 24 Review today and start uncovering the insights that could transform your farm: https://yagro.com/harvest24review