North has to wait a long time this spring

At the end of April it was mainly Flevoland that had to deal with a lot of rain, last week it was the Northern Netherlands. There has meanwhile fallen between 45 and even 60 millimeters of precipitation. In the other arable areas it is much drier. The Southeast and South hardly had to deal with precipitation. Arable farmers in East Brabant and Limburg were thus able to catch up considerably.

Waiting for heat
In most areas, between 5% and 10% of the acreage still needs to be put into the ground. In the seed potato areas, it is a factor that some growers have waited a long time. They found the planting conditions far too cold to plant at full capacity. But the potatoes that have been in the ground for a month have hardly done anything either. The eyes are just coming loose, insiders say.

The Southwest is the only one who has more or less completed the planting work, with few exceptions. There was not excessive precipitation in South Holland, West Brabant and Zeeland. This also applies to the areas further east. Planting started late here so that a lot still had to be done at the beginning of May. Here still 5% has to be planted. The Netherlands has a relatively long planting season. At the end of March, full start was already made in the Southwest, while in Limburg 10 May is still being planted and in Groningen that may be 15 May or later. Due to this long period, there is no question of much stress. A long wait has so far resulted in little backlog. Seed potatoes of the popular Fontane variety are sold out almost everywhere, insiders say. Also Marquis is hardly available.

Entering the country after mid-May
If you include the plots of seed potatoes, arable farmers in Friesland and Groningen still have to plant between 10% and 20%. In the Northeast, the Peat Colonies and sandy areas, the picture is variable. Some farms are ready, but precipitation prevented completion at other growers. On Tuesday 11 May, a hefty amount of rain is again expected in the north of the Netherlands, so the question is when the last plots can be planted. Probably not until mid-May, that is the expectation now.

After a sudden summer peak last weekend, the temperature will drop again for the next 14 days. It stays around 15 degrees. Not really nice growing weather, but a lot better than the past few weeks. It is also expected to be stable at around 10 degrees at night. Where sufficient precipitation has fallen, the starting position of the potato plots is good. In the Southeast, it is still very dry there.

Drought in Europe
There was hardly any precipitation in Belgium and northern France. Arable farmers were able to complete the planting work here, with the work almost being completed on 10 May. Also in Germany planting is almost completed. In Bavaria the necessary precipitation has fallen, but elsewhere it is dry. The effects of drought and cold weather are particularly noticeable in France. Cereal crops, for example, suffer as a result.

Where the potatoes have been treated to a shower of rain, the growing season really starts now. Everywhere in Europe it has been too cold and a lot of night frost was noticeable. In the important growing areas in Belgium, France and Germany, the mercury remains above zero at night. With 5 to 6 degrees it is not really nice weather. When the crops start to grow, the moisture supply becomes an increasingly critical point. DCA Agroweer expects an average weather type for the second half of May in terms of temperature and especially dry conditions throughout Europe. Local heavy showers are possible.