News Weather
Where does rain hinder the potato harvest?
The middle and north of the Netherlands received a lot of precipitation in the last week of September. The difference with the south of the Netherlands is huge. The line between too dry and too wet is again wide. Does the harvesting season of the main crop start wet?
The month of September ends wet, despite the fact that it will be remembered as warm and dry for many farmers. The precipitation that fell in the last week, in particular, has been scattered. The south and southeast of the Netherlands will remain very dry.
Locally soaking wet
Locally, September has accounted for more than 160 millimeters in the most extreme cases. Most of it fell in the last days. In the Noordoostpolder, for example, more than 4 millimeters fell in 100 days. This brings the monthly figure to almost 170 millimeters. It is also soaking wet in Northeast Groningen and North Holland.
The southwestern arable area has fared better if you want to start harvesting. There has been less rain in most areas: between 15 and 20 millimeters. Yet here too there are places where the monthly total exceeds 100 millimeters.
Southeast as dry as a bone
How different is the picture further east. The eastern side of Brabant in particular is very dry, just like North Limburg. There has also been very little rainfall in recent days, sometimes as little as 5 millimeters or less. The dry east has also received slightly more precipitation.
Belgium, Germany and France
In Belgium there has been much less rain in recent days than in the Netherlands. A heavy shower here was not bad for the harvesting work. Especially when it comes to potatoes. It was limited to a few millimeters. Over the whole month, the southern neighbors received only half of the precipitation compared to the Netherlands.
The northwest of Germany in particular has also had to deal with quite a bit of precipitation in recent days. That only benefits the conditions for the harvesting work. Further east, however, it is dry. The picture in France is similar. There was also little rain here.
Snow hampers Canadian harvest
How different it is in Canada and the United States. The Midwest is experiencing heavy rainfall, making late corn and soybean harvests more difficult. It has yet to start in some states. In the northern states, spring wheat cannot be threshed by persistent precipitation. In Canada, a considerable amount of snow fell in places, between 10 and 80 centimeters.
The grain harvest is far from complete, bringing the winter weather at a very bad time. This is also a problem for the potato harvest. On the east coast, on Prince Edward Island, potato growers have to contend with abundant rainfall. It fell as a result of Hurricane Dorian.
Market experts estimate that 10% to 15% of Canadian spring wheat and snow rape are at risk. Crops start to lodge, resulting in yield losses. In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, 30% of the wheat and 17% of the rapeseed have been harvested. The total grain harvest is ready at 40%, compared to 62% normal. Better weather is expected in the next 10 days, giving the harvest a second chance.
Wet farmers protest
In our country, a large splash of water is expected, especially on Tuesday 1 October, on the day of the farmers' protests in The Hague. After that it will become drier, with only a shower in the weekend. Precipitation is also forecast in the second week of October, but to a much lesser extent.
Insiders estimate that about 20% of Dutch onions still need to be harvested. Most of it has been cleared, but has not yet been charged. There are still a lot of onions, especially in the north of the Netherlands. Growers in those regions are talking about 50% of the acreage.
Also in Flevoland, onions still have to be loaded here and there. The main crop of chips potatoes has already started in the southwest, but it has yet to start further north. Not all plots have been sprayed to death.
Niels van der Boom
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