News Weather
Erratic spring with large regional differences
Farmers and contractors worked long days last week to carry out as much land work as possible. The large differences between regions are striking. The precipitation – and therefore the conditions – largely determine how far the work has progressed. Due to a new rain front, it will probably be May before work can be resumed in earnest.
For most entrepreneurs it has been a long time since spring was so difficult. The parallel with 1983 is now increasingly being drawn by experienced (read: older) farmers. Exactly forty years ago, the KNMI spoke of a monsoon that lasted from mid-March to the end of May. It turned out to be the wettest and gloomiest spring of the twentieth century. Low point was a storm on Ascension Day that killed eleven people.
In terms of precipitation, the month of May was especially wet forty years ago, with 125 millimeters of rain compared to an average of 50 millimeters. This year the counter of the KNMI is now at 312 millimeters of precipitation. This makes 2023 the wettest year since 1901. 1998 follows in second place with 294 millimeters. The total for April is about 80 to 90 millimeters, where 45 millimeters is normal.
Record potato price
Potato growers remember 1983 for two reasons. First of all, the fact that many potatoes were only planted in June. The other fact is that the physical potato price rose to 49 guilders per 100 kilos. That was even 8 guilders more than was achieved in 1976. If you convert that amount, including inflation, you arrive at a price of €52,53. So much for the old cows from the ditch.
Back to spring 2023. Last week, arable farmers were especially busy getting their sugar beets and onions into the ground. On the light soil, the manure injection and the main tillage were also still on the program. Only a small start has been made with planting potatoes. The 'early' varieties – which had to be planted a month ago – have been planted in many places. Conditions are particularly poor on the clay soils. The ground was quite gray on top, but it is usually soaking wet at the bottom. Waiting is just no longer an option.
Big differences
The regional differences are large because the rain has also been scattered. The northeast of the Netherlands has done relatively well and a lot of sowing work has already been carried out there. That also applies to the southwest, although it also matters where you are. There are also noticeable differences in Zeeland. A lot of work has been done on the South Holland islands, while it remained very quiet in West Brabant. Roughly speaking, you can say that between 50% and 75% of the onions and beets are sown in the southwest. In the northeast on the clay it is 80% to 90% or more. In Flevoland and North Holland, it is estimated that you are talking about barely half of the area. This also applies to the East Netherlands.
In the southeast (Brabant and Limburg) a lot has been sown, especially on light soils, but there is not much planting work yet. The same goes for other areas. Something has happened in the southwest, but the further north you go, the smaller the planted area.
First cut in the silage
Dairy farmers seized the opportunity last week to ensile a first cut of grass. Here, too, there are major differences. Anyone who was able to fertilize from February 16 - and spread the fertilizer in time - had a large pack of grass by mid-April. This has usually not been the case, especially in the wetter and low-lying areas, and grass growth is therefore much less advanced there. It was also mowed a bit early, because the moment was there and the forecasts were not too good. This also applies to silage maize, which was also started last week. This despite the still low (soil) temperature.
This week remains slightly changeable and fresh thanks to a low pressure area that enters our country from the northwest over the North Sea. The heat that southern Europe is struggling with cannot reach us this way. Again the weather models show a drier period for the medium term, but as we have seen this year no guarantees are given. Before full work can be done in the country again, the calendar is set to May.
Growing days
When in the first two weeks of May it is possible to sow and plant in full, all is not lost. The beets and onions miss growing days, but that doesn't have to turn out badly for the potatoes. Much depends on the weather – and especially the temperature – which we get in the second half of this spring. They determine how the crop development ultimately proceeds. The crops that were sown or planted at the beginning of March have not done much yet due to the cold and wet weather. An exception to this are the onion sets, which generally do well.
Niels van der Boom
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