AgriFacts
August 2026
Welcome to the August 2026 edition of AgriFacts Summer 2026 has certainly made its presence felt. The prolonged spell of hot, dry weather has brought harvest forward, and for many farmers it is already complete. Alongside the welcome progress, the conditions have created real challenges: long days in intense heat, grain coming off the combine unusually warm, and working into store. With grain so dry, there is also a
Harvest 2026 Overview
knock-on effect on grain weight, which in
Harvest 2026 has raced to an early
maize is increasingly concerning,
turn is influencing yields.
finish, with even wheat largely
with some reports suggesting
gathered in by early August across
harvest could be only weeks away.
patterns being adapted to get crops safely
Defra has also opened the first application windows for the 2026 SFI and 2026 Capital Grant schemes, both of which
many areas. But the speed of this year’s harvest has come against a backdrop of exceptional pressure.
have seen strong early interest. Budgets
After a promising start to the
have been allocated quickly, and although
spring, prolonged drought has taken
both schemes remain open at the time of
a heavy toll, leaving many crops 10%
writing, around 75% of each budget has
to 50% below long-term averages.
already been committed. In this issue, we
Farms that received timely rainfall,
take a closer look at what this means and
particularly on heavier land, have
share advice on how to be well prepared for
generally performed best. Spring
future applications.
crops have borne the brunt of the
We want Agrifacts to remain a useful,
again offered a welcome bright
relevant and enjoyable read. Your feedback
spot, exceeding budget where
makes a real difference, so if there are
crops were well established for
topics you would like us to cover, whether
the second consecutive year.
as a one-off article or a regular feature,
Quality is generally strong,
we would love to hear from you. Please
although very low moisture levels
conditions, while oilseed rape has
send your suggestions to agrifacts@ fishergerman.co.uk
will have implications. Overall, UK wheat production is once again expected to fall short of domestic
Political change has continued at a similar pace. Over the past decade, Defra has seen 10 Secretaries of State, with Dame Angela Eagle appointed by the new Prime Minister in July. She brings experience from a range of departments under previous Labour Prime Ministers, including a period as Farming and Food Security Minister in Defra, giving her a valuable working knowledge of the department and the issues facing the sector. It is still too early to know what changes she may look to make, or how much scope she will have to deliver them, but farm and rural businesses will be hoping her appointment marks a positive shift in direction.
Which of these following statements is true?
un r iF F
ac t
Ag
consumption, while the outlook for
a) Vanilla is harvested from the seed pods of a specific species of orchid, and each flower must be hand-pollinated within hours of opening. b) Carrots were originally strictly purple and yellow; orange carrots were genetically engineered in a lab in 1982 . c) Cows have four separate stomachs, each responsible for digesting a completely different type of crop.