As a result of the low temperatures and the snow, there is no longer an early spring in Europe. All over the continent, sowing activities are delayed. Sugar beet sowing has barely started in western Europe and much grain still needs to be sown in eastern Europe.
Rising temperatures also mean that in most European countries stir to be expected. This makes it impossible to carry out much work on the land. Much grain still needs to be sown in Central and Eastern Europe and large parts of Russia and Ukraine are covered with snow. As a result of rain, the snow cover is expected to shrink in the coming period.
Spring wheat and barley
FROM an early spring is currently no longer the case in Europe. The persistently low temperatures also ensure that winter grains develop slowly. Since winter grain has not been sown everywhere in the north and northeast of Europe (after the wet autumn of 2017), a relatively large amount of summer grain still needs to be sown.
According to data from marketing agency Agritel, almost 23% of summer grain in France had been sown on Friday, March 40, compared to around 80% last year. In England, arable farmers have been able to benefit from good weather and a lot has been sown.
In Russia the gap is even greater, as data from Agritel shows. By mid-March, approximately 150.000 hectares of summer grain were in the ground. That is 73% less than in the same period last year. The sowing of peas, soy and other spring crops is also delayed. In many places, winter grain and oilseed rape have not even received their first fertilizer application.
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Barley market moves
Late spring has so far had little impact on wheat prices. Moreover, the crop emerged from the winter unscathed. This is somewhat different for barley, partly because more than half of the total barley volume is made up of spring barley.
In France, feed barley prices are showing an increase. The additional price on top of the feed wheat price is approximately €10 per tonne, compared to €5 at the start of March. In Russia the price level is around $216 per tonne delivered in Black Sea ports and for wheat it is $207,50 per tonne.
Sugar beets
Also sowing sugar beets is delayed. Hardly anything has been sown in Germany. Last year in the border region with the Netherlands (around this time) about 50% to 75% of the beets were in the ground. When the weather improves after Easter, German beet growers hope to be able to start growing as soon as possible.
However, the very low soil temperatures prevent farmers from starting sowing, even though the plots have emerged from the winter very nicely. In Central and Eastern Germany the soil temperature is about 0 degrees Celsius. In France, sowing has only been done sparingly. Rain throws a spanner in the works.
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Suiker Unie has not yet published any figures for the first sown sugar beets in the Netherlands. Last year, sowing started in week 11, when 50% of the beets were in the ground at the end of March. Locally, some sowing has been done here and there in recent weeks; There are now quite a few beets in the ground, especially in Eastern and Southern Flevoland. Beets have also been sown on the clay soils in Groningen, but in the south it has often been too wet.
It was the last time in 2013 that sugar beet sowing started so late. In that year, approximately 13% of the beets had been sown after week 9. Sowing could then get underway smoothly at the beginning of April. However, the weather forecast for the next 7 days offers little improvement in the situation. According to DCA Agroweer it will become warmer in the long term, but the chance of precipitation will also increase further.