WHAT A DIFFERENCE a week makes as we in the Borders, like much of Scotland, have had some kind harvest weather with which to combine winter wheat and spring barley crops.

Largely they have and with low moisture content, too, but there has been some coastal fog and drizzle recently which has held up progress. But compared to further north in Aberdeenshire and Orkney, where harvest has hardly started, we have little to complain about so far.

In the south of England wheat crops are growing in the head and quality has suffered badly. However, the AHDB harvest results continue to show even higher yields as harvest progresses with trial sites between Kent and the Scottish Borders showing average yields of the control varieties at 11.34t/ha - that's a tonne/ha above the five-year average with the top winter wheat trial yield at 14.54t/ha.

But that's the good news over - wheat values have continued their downward trend again this week and the LIFFE feed wheat futures for November 2015, were down £3.15 to £110.50 and November 2016, futures were down £1.05 to £124.95.

UK ex-farm bread milling wheat was down £1.40 to £122.80, compared to feed wheat which was down £1.80 to 104.20 and feed barley was down 70p to £92.90 per tonne.

Average ex-farm feed barley prices in Scotland moved lower than average prices in England and Wales for the first time this season.

The average ex-farm feed barley price in Scotland was £91.90 last week, compared to £93 in England and Wales. Feed barley typically sits at a discount to England and Wales at around £4.25 on average due to regional supply and demand.

EU soft wheat exports for the season to date total 3.3m tonnes, compared to 4.6m tonnes last year at this time. Barley exports total 2.6m tonnes, compared to 1.6m tonnes and maize imports stand at 1.4m tonnes down from 2m tonnes last season at this time.

Global wheat production estimates continue to be revised upwards, which is not helping matters.

The International Grains Council has raised the world wheat crop yet again, this time by 7m tonnes to 720m tonnes and the 2015/16 forecast for world total grain stocks is up to 447m tonnes, which is a 29-year high.

Despite high stocks, global demand is slow and US exports are 25% behind last year's total and EU exports have reported their slowest week so far this season.

There is little interest in UK exports at present but this could change when Russia reviews its export tax next week and they also have to deal with a weakening currency and protecting domestic food prices.

Ukrainian grain exports during July and August are reported to be 21% higher year on year with wheat exports at 2.6m tonnes, or 13% up year on year.

US and European exports continue to lose out to cheaper supplies from the Black sea area and export commitments for both the US and EU are the lowest for this point in the season since 2012/13 and this is having a knock-on effect in the UK .

There are some weather issues around the world that might help to reduce stocks, such as 600,000 ha of 2015/16 wheat and barley crop in Argentina damaged by recent flooding.

Ongoing dry conditions in Russia and Ukraine are also delaying their winter planting programmes, with only 15% of the Ukraine oilseed rape sown on August 21 and the ideal planting window is by August 25. With dry soil moisture conditions this is affecting their winter wheat planting as well which again has a tight planting window.

The UK malting barley harvest has progressed well and there will be an exportable surplus of more than 500,000 tonnes of spring barley due to an average yield average of 6t/ha.

Results from eight AHDB recommended Lists spring barley trials show average yield of the control varieties at 8.66t/ha which is 1.19 t/ha above the five-year average and the highest yield at 10.13 t/ha.

These yields will put more pressure on exports and the target for UK barley exports looks like it will need to be 1.8m tonnes this year to avoid an excessive increase in end stocks.

China has forecast a fall in barley imports in 2015/16 to 6.5m tonnes which is still historically high and it was the world's largest barley importer for the first time in 2014/15.

Oilseed rape delivered Erith was down £2 this past week to £261.50 as yield in soyabeans in US increased from 3.06t/ha up to 3.16t/ha. French rapeseed stocks have also increased and Canadian canola stocks were bigger than forecast, even though they were down 23% on last year.

Crude oil prices have recovered by approximately 15% from last week's six-year lows due to a US government report showing crude production down 1% on the month.

The next few weeks will be critical, especially for farmers in the north of Scotland, as autumn weather sets in and daylight hours reduce, we can only hope for a prolonged spell of more settled weather.