Inside Weather
May a drowned month for the farmer
The last days of May are extremely wet, which means that land work has to be postponed again until June. In many places this month the amount of precipitation has doubled than the average. Fluid reserves are therefore more than replenished.
The southwest and southeast are relatively the driest areas in our country this month. A hefty amount of rain fell in the first 25 days of May in the west and north. Sometimes it concerns very local and heavy showers that, in addition to rain, also bring hail. Several areas in Friesland and the Noordoostpolder have already been hit by such showers a number of times.
3 weeks later
The map of Hetweeractueel shows a large number of places where more than 100 millimeters have fallen. There are outliers of 130 millimeters. On average, there will be 56 millimeters of precipitation this month. It is also still too cold for the time of year, which is clearly visible in the slow development of the crops.
The sugar beets still have a lot to catch up on before they are closed on the longest day. Winter wheat is normally in the ear at the end of May, but this year that is not the case. The winter barley is only just in the ear. In most places the crops are about 3 weeks later. The differences are large, especially because it has been very warm in the spring for the last 2 years.
For the potatoes that still have to be planted, we have to wait for the time being. Work cannot be resumed until June, given expectations now. In the Northern Netherlands, just under 10% still has to be planted. Mainly seed potatoes along the Wadden coast, but also partly starch and consumption potatoes in the northeast. A small part still has to be planted in North Holland. Last week, some planting was done sporadically in the Noordoostpolder. The work there is almost complete.
Mowing at the end of this week
Dairy farmers have used the days around Ascension Day to bring in the first cut of grass. That gamble usually worked out well afterwards, although suddenly there was a local shower. With rain, silage was mainly in the east around that time. As a result, there is also mention of heating in the newly constructed pits. The first cut is partly still on the land, which has now become top-heavy and has become flat due to the heavy rain. Looking at the weather forecast, the mowers will probably be able to return to the country at the end of this week in places where not too much rain has fallen.
From Friday 28 May, the temperature will finally rise again to about 20 degrees. The sun comes back and the rain disappears. At least that's what the expectations now show. We are getting more stable weather so hopefully land work can be resumed soon. For arable farmers, the soil must first settle for a few days. Not much wind is forecast. Because the crops continue to grow – not to mention the weeds – it is quite a challenge to look for dry moments. For example, most potatoes still have to be milled and weed control in beets and onions is also difficult.
Niels van der Boom
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