The wheat acreage is shrinking this year by a substantial 9,5%. At the same time, the barley area has increased by 17%. Summer cereals in particular are expanding strongly this year, which is entirely due to the wet autumn. The acreage is falling sharply locally, by up to 35%.
With 23.600 hectares, the arable province of Zeeland is the largest supplier of winter wheat, according to data from Boer&Bunder. This is followed by Groningen, with 20.711 hectares. This is mainly due to the Oldambt region. With a share of over 30% (6.565 hectares), this area is still the breadbasket of the Netherlands. Flevoland is in third place with 3 hectares of winter wheat. That is already a significant decrease compared to the number 10.326 and 1.
The other provinces are even further below that. For example, the 7 smallest provinces together have less winter wheat acreage than Zeeland alone. Zeeland and Groningen together account for 50% of the total winter wheat acreage in our country.
Summer cereals also in clay areas
The largest area of spring wheat is in Groningen (3.448 hectares). That is not surprising, because a relatively large amount of summer grain is grown on both the clay and in the Veenkoloniën. With over 1.800 hectares, Zeeland comes in second here, closely followed by South Holland. Groningen also tops the ranking with 2 hectares with regard to summer barley. This is followed by Drenthe with 8.500 hectares. In Zeeland that is 7.800 hectares.
Compared to last year, the area of winter wheat in the province of Groningen has fallen the most, by no less than 35%. Good for almost 7.300 hectares. This is partly compensated by spring wheat, the cultivation of which increased by 122%. This sharp decline can be explained logically. It was not always possible to sow in time on the heavy clay soil in the Oldambt. This was also difficult on the Hogeland after late harvesting fruit. A decrease is noticeable here. In Zeeland, the acreage has decreased by 11%. There are no risers this season, although wheat cultivation in Gelderland and Limburg remained relatively stable.
Winter barley more stable
The cultivation of winter barley has decreased by 12% this year. It is again the Zeeland and Groningen regions that stand out. The acreage fell from 400 to almost 500 hectares, although the figures are much more stable compared to winter wheat. Probably because winter barley is on average sown earlier than wheat, when the weather allowed it.
Other grain crops hardly play a role in the Netherlands. After wheat and barley, Japanese oats are the largest cereal crop, at 2.000 hectares. The cultivation is relatively large, especially in the top of Noord-Holland and Noord-Brabant. Not always for the production of seed, but mainly as a full-fledged green manure crop. In Noord-Holland, for example, it is visible that the crop is used as a dormant crop after several bulb cultivations.
Feed grains in the east of the Netherlands
Triticale (1.200 hectares) is mainly found in Gelderland and Overijssel. Together they control more than 50% of the acreage. This wheat-rye hybrid is well suited to drought-sensitive sandy soils and serves as animal feed there. The triticale is usually chopped as whole plant silage.
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