After a short peak, spring work will be postponed to April

For many arable farmers, mid-March was the first chance to go onto the land. Applying nitrogen fertilizer to the wheat, planting onion sets or spring tillage were on the program. The higher and well-draining grounds were sufficiently passable, although the legacy of last autumn and winter is also visible in many places. It is also noticeable that on the plots where work could be carried out, the subsoil is hardly completely dry. The topsoil can usually be worked well this early in the season.

OK…. At the dam you can see that it was not completely dry yet, but I am still glad that liquid manure was spread at the end of the afternoon yesterday. Hardly any traces on the plot itself. #harvest24 Grass for the #Herefords pic.twitter.com/j2xrzeqhW9

— Terry van Loon (@terryvanloon) March 23, 2024

Pressure from the boiler
Dairy farmers and their contractors have now had sufficient opportunities to use liquid manure on the grassland. Places or headlands that are difficult to drive on often have to be skipped, but the great pressure is off in livestock farming. Very little manure has been spread on the winter grains, partly because there are few suitable plots in the first place. Where possible, arable farmers apply slurry to arable land for ploughing, given the attractive amounts they receive for this. A little structural damage is then taken for granted.

The head is off again. Searching for dry plots with an onion planter started yesterday @FeijterBastian on the box. Carrying capacity varies. I got the first one today #onions sow. #fattyres and rakes on it. It's going well again #field. Curious what #harvest24 gives. pic.twitter.com/BZuKZTq6zh

— Ivo Haartsen (@ih83_zvl) March 21, 2024

Here and there a corner of sugar beets has been sown. Especially on the lighter (deeply plowed) clay soils in Flevoland, the north and southeast. Sugar beets also went into the ground on the heavy soil in the north of Groningen. Yet growers remain reluctant to sow. Onions are often preferred, if conditions are suitable. Once again, some plots have already been sown in Flevoland. With the experience of last season in mind, some growers do not want to miss another four weeks of the sowing season and choose to be a little (too) early rather than too late. Onions have also been sown in the northeast.

early potatoes
In the south and southeast, potato growers have started planting. The really early potatoes are largely in the ground. Not only in the Netherlands, but also across the border in Germany, for example. This concerns the high plots of sandy soil, because not all areas are dry enough. In eastern Flevoland, a few took advantage of the circumstances to plant potatoes for consumption early. The idea is to get in early, get out early and hopefully benefit from good market demand this summer.

Arable farmers in the countries around us have also been busy. Spring has arrived, especially in Germany and further east. In large parts of Belgium and France it is noticeably wet and new disturbances continue to cause some precipitation. This is also clearly reflected in the weather maps. While the monthly sum in the Netherlands now remains at around 20 to 30 millimeters, this has already increased to 70 to 80 millimeters in our southern neighbors. Add to that the far from ideal starting situation and there is certainly no question of an early start in Belgium and Northern France.

Drier or wetter?
Given the weather forecast this week, spring work will be postponed to April in most places. The temperature is expected to rise to 20 degrees locally during the Easter weekend. The first week of April remains changeable according to current weather maps. There are no large amounts of rain, but regular showers. Weather experts do not agree on whether the longer term will bring dry or wet weather. Many weather maps take into account an average (and therefore dry) weather for the coming month. The KNMI makes the link with El Niño and expected a wetter than average April. Cold outliers are not expected.

If the sowing and planting work can start in full in the second half of April, then that is perfectly on time. Perhaps a little later than average, but certainly not a bad starting point with a slightly higher temperature and the occasional shower. The main question is how work will proceed on plots 'with a story', such as those with deep ruts or where potatoes and beets have been left behind. Searching for alternative crops, such as summer grain or preserves, is not easy due to a shortage of seed or lack of demand. Corn is then one of the few options. There is a demand from livestock farming, but not every arable farmer is keen on that crop.