It has been widely reported that this year’s cereal harvest has been very disappointing.

The late Spring, due to a very wet March, was far too quickly followed by the first heatwave in late May.

Due to the mild winter, Autumn sown barleys fared reasonably well, delivering yields close to the 5 year average. Quality, however, is very variable with grain nitrogen’s erring on the high side. Spring barleys, on the other hand, were planted a month late, in the second half of April, and had only just established complete crop cover when the first heatwave struck. Although growth stages were then telescoped, ear formation was quite good, but subsequent heatwaves impacted grain fill. The overall yield of the English Spring barley crop is estimated to be 25% down compared to the average, the poorest harvest for more than 25 years. Again, quality is very variable.

However, this shortfall in new crop barley almost matches the drop in demand for malting grades which manifested itself last year. But that is not sufficient to keep a lid on prices. Geopolitical events – Russia and Ukraine bombing each other’s grain exporting terminals – is currently fuelling an escalation in global grain values, with no indication of where or how this might end.

At Warminster we have already rounded up sufficient quantities of the barleys we require for the next 12/15 months. But we are not immune from price increases. Farmers will need every penny they can get this time round, and we must respect this. Their crops are our lifeblood, and we need them to plant again for next harvest. We are all in this together!

 You may well already be aware of this initiative, we’ve actually written about it previously, but we feel it’s worth talking about again.

The celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has been spearheading a campaign to cut VAT for hospitality. It’s currently 20%, one the highest rates in Europe and the aim of the campaign is to get it down to 10%.

Lowering the rate of VAT is the single most important thing the Government could do to support our local pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and many more in the hospitality industry.

Of course it would be hugely beneficial to consumers too, and so we urge everyone to sign the petition and share it as widely as possible.

But when we face the other way and spare a thought for the barley crop, we need to pray for rain. April has been far from wet enough for our crops out in the fields, which means rain in May will be even more critical than it normally is.

It is easy to overlook that lack of rain poses a far greater threat to mankind than lack of sun. So, for the time being, we are praying for a bit more of that classic weather we dub as the forecaster’s cop out – sunshine and showers! It shouldn’t stop people from going to the pub, but it will definitely help this year’s barley crop to flourish.