Despite the beautiful spring weather, arable farmers in the Netherlands have kept relatively quiet in recent days. The sowing of onions and sugar beets has happened at a steady pace, and there is certainly no question of panic.
A lot of work has been done by arable farmers, especially in the south-west of the country. About 1 year ago things were very different, because at that time the Zeelanders had to wait a long time and grit their teeth to see how their colleagues elsewhere in the country could get started. This spring is more traditional in that respect.
Zeeland first
Because in Zeeland in some places at the beginning of last week started could be, a lot has happened since then. There is a special situation with onions, because at the end of March noticed seed sellers noted that orders from Zeeland arrived very late. "Even at the start of April we still receive demand for seed," says Kees Jacobs of Syngenta Seeds.
In Eastern and Southern Flevoland, sowing of onions has started gradually, but the heavier soils are not suitable everywhere. Growers also choose to prepare the land and wait for the rain. However, with relatively stable weather in prospect, there is no need to panic. The Noordoostpolder is completely quiet. Due to the predominantly lighter soils, arable farmers can get started quickly when it is dry.
North is quiet
The further north, the quieter it becomes, market insiders note. Sowing is currently taking place in North Holland, but the provinces of Friesland and Groningen are keeping quiet. It is striking that slightly more has been sown in the Oldambt than in the Hogeland. In Drenthe we are looking for dry plots of land, and the land is not ready everywhere. Often manure still needs to be applied and the main tillage has not yet been carried out.
The southeast of the country is an exception. At the end of February quite a bit of work had already been done here. The cultivation areas in East Brabant and North and Central Limburg are leading the way, just like their colleagues in the southwest. Despite a local lead, the national level of sowing is estimated at 20% to 25%. The market experts at DCA estimate this percentage to be slightly higher at more than 30%.
Sugar beets are well underway
The condition of the sugar beets is also a good indicator of the onions. Until the end of last week (week 13) the Plate of Suiker Unie at 20% and then in Zeeland 40% to 50% of the beets were in the ground. A lot has also happened elsewhere in the southwest of the country: 25% to 33% is in the ground. In Eastern and Southern Flevoland this is approximately 25%.
The northern growing areas all have sown less than 10%. This also applies to the generally early Northern clay area. Compared to 2018, the sowing percentage is well ahead nationally, because at that time 8% was in the ground. In 2017 this was already 50%.
encrusting
The beets that were sown at the end of February are now at the top, even though a large crust has sometimes formed. In exceptional cases, it has been oversown. The onions and early carrots suffered more from crust formation. The growers had to resort to tricks with irrigation, harrowing or rolling, but dark weather and little wind did help. The status of the early plots is often satisfactory.
Partly due to the warm weather, the winter onion sets are growing well and are going fast. The onions planted in February are also off to a smooth start. The winter sowing onions, of which approximately 75 hectares have been grown nationally this year, are now starting to develop. The dry autumn didn't start off ideally, because growth was slow for a long time. These plots now have to work to build up a lead.