First potatoes are starting to emerge

The first potatoes are above ground while the last ones still have to be planted. The extent to which the potatoes have developed varies considerably per region and grower, as is evident from the first tour of the participants of the Crop Tour of Boerenbusiness.

René Mesken from Appelscha (Friesland) is the only grower in the Crop Tour who still has to plant his potatoes. In other parts of the country, most potatoes are already in the ground and on their way up.

Regional differences
Kees Trouw from Hellevoetsluis (South Holland) has already milled his plots last week. Daan Tap from Elst (Gelderland) is also well on schedule. Last Monday and Tuesday he milled the ridges, and on Tuesday evening he applied the soil herbicides. On Thursday the first potatoes were already breaking through.

In the North, Alex van Erp from Midwolda (Groningen) is also working quickly. Last Friday he tilled his ridges, followed by the application of soil herbicides on Saturday. He expects his potatoes to be above ground within a week. Wouter Vierboom from Leuth (Gelderland) reports that his potatoes are 'on their way' to coming through. According to him, the seed potatoes have developed quickly in the past week.

Lead through early start in Flevoland
Adriaan Wortman from Dronten (Flevoland) is already seeing his potatoes making good progress. He benefited from a local shower of 7 millimeters on Friday. His potatoes were planted early and also pre-germinated; a combination that clearly gives his crop a head start.

Dry spring sets the pace
The early start of the season is largely due to the dry spring. Precipitation in February and March remained well below the long-term average. This allowed many growers to get into the fields unusually early. This means that the average planting date is considerably earlier this year.

By comparison, last year the first potatoes only emerged in the second half of May and some growers still had to start planting. This year the picture is clearly different: an early start, with plots already showing signs of emergence.

Dan Tap Dan Tap Alex Van Erp Wouter Vierboom Wouter Vierboom Adrian Wortman

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