Steal a potato harvest between the showers

At the beginning of October the rain is more evenly distributed over the country. Large parts of the country have had several tens of millimeters. Significant precipitation also fell in Belgium. It was still relatively dry there for the time being. Further south, in the north of France, less rain fell. In Germany, heavy rain fell, especially in the north and center.

Night frost in Europe
In addition to the wet conditions, night frost also plays a role. On the night of Sunday 6 to Monday 7 October, things were not too bad in our country. Further east, in Poland and East Germany, the mercury dropped several degrees below zero. It ensures that the harvesting work can start later in the morning.

Last week it was only possible to harvest in a few places in the Netherlands. However, some work has still been done between the showers, although this is happening at a very different pace than before the rain. Where 2 to 3 weeks ago rain was welcomed to soften harvesting conditions, the opposite is now true.

Flevoland extremely wet
It is very wet, especially in Flevoland. The province received the top prize in terms of precipitation at the end of September. The Noordoostpolder stands out. Moreover, a considerable amount of onions still need to be loaded here. This also applies to other parts of central and northern Netherlands. However, on the light soils in the northeast, harvesting can start quickly.

Arable farmers in the southwest were able to carry out some clearing work last week. Ultimately, a large amount of water fell here too, especially on Thursday and Friday. However, the clearing work was carefully resumed over the weekend.

Situation in the south
In the southeast of our country, and in Belgium, potato growers have started harvesting the main harvest. Despite 20 millimeters last Sunday, harvesting can continue on the sandy soil. This is different in the southern part of Limburg. There too, many onions still have to be brought in and many plots are still stuck in the ground. Large potato growers have slowly started the main harvest, although it is also very wet there.

This week is likely to continue to be teeth-grinding for many companies. After a beautiful day today, changeable weather returns. Slightly less precipitation is reported in Belgium. This also applies to Germany. The temperatures are rising. More rain is expected in the north of the Netherlands. Given the current weather forecasts, it will take a week and a half before significantly better weather is reported. In the meantime, the clock is ticking, and arable farmers realize that all too well.