'This heat is a sledgehammer for arable farming'

Heat records are being broken in the Netherlands. Who has more to do with this than the arable farmer? A short report on the heat situation for arable farmers.

While it is widely in the news that it has not been as hot since 1944 as it is today (24 July), national newspapers also let arable farmers speak about the heat. This is what arable farmer Djordy Hoogerwerf from Hoofdplaat says to the AD that is burning away sowing onions, potatoes and wheat. "The plants are under stress and become immature. Because they don't get any moisture, the crops evaporate extremely quickly."

Sledgehammer
"Due to the recent drought, the crops have few reserves and these temperatures cause wear and tear very quickly," says Joris Baecke, chairman of ZLTO. The heat is also not favorable for the currently ripening wheat. It goes too fast with this heat, while the straw is often not quite ready yet. Opposite nu.nl Brenda Timmermans of LTO Noord speaks about the heat as a 'true sledgehammer blow' for farmers. "It is worrying: in addition to the drought, we are now also getting heat."

The heat has serious consequences for the potatoes, says Kürt Demeulemeester, arable research leader at Inagro felt.be. "The yield of early potatoes appears to be not too bad, but these fields ripen quickly in this weather. This limits the number of kilos. You see the foliage deteriorate in later storage potatoes. The sampling for yield determination has yet to start, but this weather is unfavorable for the growth of the tubers. For late potatoes that already formed small tubers, that process starts now and the water requirement is therefore at its greatest."

During the heat and drought, the water boards also speak for themselves. The Wetterskip Fryslân, for example, argued that it is better for farmers to discuss whether to spray or not. If not everyone turns on the irrigation system at the same time, the water board can ensure that the water level does not drop too much with water supply from the IJsselmeer, so that a ban on irrigation can be avoided for as long as possible.

Precipitation deficit higher than average
According to Rijkswaterstaat, the precipitation deficit is currently higher than average, but in the west and north of the country not nearly as high as last year. The east and south are approaching last year's record. The heat increases evaporation. Also on the crop tour plots today high temperatures measured. 

Anne-Jan Doorn

Anne Jan Doorn is an arable expert at Boerenbusiness. He writes about the various arable farming markets and also focuses on the land and energy market.

aj.doorn@boerenbusiness. Nl

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