News Arable
Seedbed preparation is fun this spring
Making a fine seedbed for sugar beets, onions or other crops takes little effort this spring. Arable farmers have now flocked to the land en masse. The crops come into the ground without stress.
A lot of work has already been done in the southwest last week (week 12). The weather was good and the ground was sufficiently dry. Further north, work really got underway at the end of the week and farmers are still taking it easy. In the north and northeast it is traditionally a lot quieter.
Low temperatures
On the light soils, plenty of slurry can be spread for a new growing season. This also applies to early sown winter cereals that are ready for a slurry addition. The weather forecast for the next 14 days is stable. At most, a small shower is expected. Apart from a few warm days this week, it remains cool outside. It is especially cold at Easter.
Onions in particular are on the agenda for arable farmers across the country. With sugar beets, growers are more hesitant. They prefer the soil to warm up and the temperatures to go up first. That ensures a better initial development which is crucial. The same goes for the onions, but the idea is that they can have more. An increasingly critical weed control plays a major role.
Cosun Beet Company has not yet published any new figures regarding the progress of sowing. Halfway through last week, the counter stood at 1.000 hectares, but that has undoubtedly increased. Farmers in the southwest have sown the most beets and beets are also going into the ground in the southeast.
Everyone still has the difficult spring of 2020 fresh in their minds after a wet autumn and frost-free winter. Despite a lot of snow, the clay soil has improved enormously from a little frost, so that in most cases only 1 operation is needed to obtain a seed bed.
Winter cereals have suffered little or no damage from the frost. Snow has protected the crops from that. Fertilizer could be applied in good time at the end of February and the beginning of March. Many plots are now ready for their first spraying against weeds and with a blade shortener. Many summer cereals have already been sown a month ago. Where necessary, this work can now be completed.
Arable farmers are clearly taking it easy when planting potatoes. Early varieties on light soils can be planted in the ground. The heavier ground is still wet at the bottom and there is plenty of other work to be done. Due to the weather, beet and onion sowing can be completed this week in many places. This applies especially to the southwest and Flevoland. Planting can then be started after Easter, if the rain is not too bad.
Niels van der Boom
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