Early start after heatwave

The year is only a few weeks old and several weather records have already been broken. For example, three date heat records were shattered when the mercury in De Bilt reached almost 18 degrees. Locally, it became even warmer. January was slightly wetter than average, but February was much drier. The first ten days of March also passed without a drop of rain. The entire winter was also drier than normal, with 185 versus 204 millimeters. There are considerable regional differences. It was drier in the north than in central and southern Netherlands.

It is not unusual for it to be mild and dry early in the year. Last year February and March were also very mild, but March ended wet, chilly and gloomy. Temperatures are dropping again now, although dry weather will continue to dominate.

None #sundayrest for us in contract work. We do it gently. This customer really wants to sow. The ground is still moving. He finds sugar beets too exciting, #harvest25 onions must be in. Red "Australian" onions. Dkg 3.06, fine stuff. 2nd block hyfive yellow now from @DeGrootenSlot #field pic.twitter.com/StJ7v0RIDs

— Ivo Haartsen (@ih83_zvl) March 9, 2025

Sowing and planting
In all arable areas, a lot of work has been done in the past week. Not only fertilizing and tilling the soil, but also some sowing and planting has been done. At the end of February, the frost period was already used to get the early crops in the ground, such as onions, potatoes and early carrots. Now the switch is slowly being made to the main harvest.

Sugar beets have only been sown in very small numbers. This means that the start is a little earlier than was the case last year. Then, 2% of the area (1.850 hectares) was sown in March. In 2023, this was much more. Then, 13% (11.000 hectares) was already in the ground by mid-March. Beet growers are taking it easier. They are waiting for sufficient soil temperature and prefer to see the crop grow quickly. The idea is that this will make weed control easier later on.

Deliver, prepare and start with field work. Under the watchful eye of the new generation pic.twitter.com/JX1wZniOEM

— Sjoerd Heestermans (@sheestermans1) March 9, 2025

Put the brakes on
Sowing is guessing, as is once again evident. From the north of Friesland and Groningen to Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, onions were sown last week. However, there is also hesitation here. The temperatures also play an important role. What also does not help is the tight availability of seed. The growers have all been able to get yellow, just not always the variety of first choice. But no one wants to waste the expensive and frugal seed. The brakes are therefore somewhat on. With dry and colder weather in prospect, people are also taking it easy.

Growers of early French fry and table potatoes have already been able to do a lot of work. The soil is usually still relatively wet and cold, but fertilizing and ploughing was done under good conditions. This also applies to the countries around us, where planting was very late, especially last year. In the early growing areas, the potatoes are already in place to a very large extent. While the onion market is clearly experiencing a revival, this is exactly the opposite for potatoes. The market is in a deep minor key, which can partly be directly traced back to the early spring. The smooth start is reminiscent of an early availability of the new harvest, from the end of July.

Day 2 Injecting cattle manure, the basic fertilization for the sugar beets. #field pic.twitter.com/xmZv9XcGqh

— Jan Reinier de Jong (@jrdejongodoorn) March 8, 2025

Perfect start to the manure season
The overcrowded manure market has had an almost perfect start to the spreading season, which began on February 16. On the drier grassland plots, a lot of manure has been spread by dairy farmers throughout the country. Only a heavy frost sometimes threw a spanner in the works. The situation is very different for arable farmers. There, the nice weather actually causes a wait-and-see attitude. That is precisely not what the market is waiting for, who would rather see overfull pits, silos and basins emptied. A shortage of transport capacity does not help either.

Plots of winter wheat and barley, which were sown on time last autumn, can now be fertilised with liquid manure. For arable farmers, this puzzle is not so easy to solve. Those who fall within an NV area in particular are scratching their heads. From a legislative point of view, it is more favourable to spread artificial fertiliser, because it is easier to control. On the other hand, nitrogen prices have recently skyrocketed. Whether it becomes manure or granules ultimately depends on the amount at the bottom line. How much growers are paid depends largely on the region. In addition, not every intermediary or farmer is prepared to go along with the large amounts.

The Netherlands has been fed with relatively high temperatures in the past week, but that will change rapidly in the second half of the month. The blockade above the Atlantic Ocean is shifting, which will bring colder weather to us. The expected amount of precipitation will remain low. However, temperatures will drop below 10 degrees, with a chance of a degree of frost at night.

Severe weather in Spain
In the middle and south of France and especially in Spain, things are very different. There, up to 100 millimeters of precipitation can fall regionally this week. Last weekend, Spain was already hit by storm Jana, with hail as well as a lot of rain. The entire country has had to deal with bad weather, with local flooding even occurring when 120 millimeters fell in a short period of time. The impact on agriculture is still relatively small. If there are delivery problems - especially of vegetables - other countries can fill this gap. Damage is also being reported in potatoes, in the south of Spain.