Potato harvest builds up a significant lead

Growers and contractors can't quite figure it out, but on average it is harvesting just fine. There are exceptions and the heavy clay is indeed tough. Yet it is noticeable that the soil wants to sift. Probably because there has been more than enough moisture this growing season. The clay never dried out hard during the summer months. The harvesting is progressing so steadily.

Catching up
According to the most recent figures from Aviko Potato more than 60% has now been cleared in our country. France is slightly above that and Belgium slightly below. Our southern neighbors in particular have made significant progress. In Germany and the United Kingdom, almost 20% still needs to be cleared. This means that the harvest in all places is well ahead of the last two years. The harvest pace is comparable to the dry 2.

Dutch arable farmers have done a lot of work on the clay soil. It is striking that more than 60% still needs to be cleared in the southwest. There has been a lot of rainfall here lately and that is slowing down the harvest pace. The harvest is less advanced on the sandy soils in the east. Especially in the northeast. Apart from South Limburg, there is no shortage of moisture. The nights are usually not very cold, so productive days can be made.

Rain coming
What plays a role is that potato growers have made a lot of effort to harvest as much as possible before a new rainy period. It may be a mild week, but that also means precipitation. Expectations have already weakened somewhat. Thursday in particular will be a wet day with local rainfall of 15 to 20 millimeters. The longer term is still dry for the time being. Everything behind the boards in October remains possible.

The other EU-4 countries will also experience a similar amount of precipitation and relatively warm weather with temperatures rising to around 20 degrees at the beginning of this week. What is also visible throughout Europe are disappointing potato yields and quality. Not all fries are potatoes, but the table potato market is also having difficulty with this. Food damage is an issue in some countries, including the UK. This ensures that free market prices for highly demanded varieties rise sharply.

More wheat?
Because the potato harvest is going so smoothly, suppliers are having great difficulty supplying arable farmers with enough seed to provide. Usually the seeder immediately follows the harvester. Especially now that wheat prices also offer prospects for the 2022 harvest. Suppliers do not dare to say whether significantly more winter wheat will be sown this autumn. If the conditions are favorable, more will be sown anyway. This is at the expense of the area of ​​summer grains, especially on clay. It serves as a 'hole filler'.

Last year, the wheat area grew by 10% in the Netherlands. Winter wheat even expanded by 16% in area. It concerns 15.000 hectares. Whether we will experience such an increase again this year remains to be seen. Seed sales are not entirely a fair indicator. Because the harvest fell this summer, less seed is available and varieties are sold out sooner.