News Weather
Spring work continues to navigate between the showers
Gritting their teeth, farmers and contractors look at the weather forecast for this week. Mowing, fertilizing, tillage and sowing, it all has to be done between the showers. A fixed dry period is once again absent. This makes the sowing and planting activities permanently more difficult. Nationally, more than half of the beets and onions are in the ground. For potatoes, that is barely 10%.
With an average of 80 millimeters of precipitation, April 2023 will be soaking wet in the books. In fact, it is the wettest month since 1998 and double the amount normal for April. It was especially wet in the middle of the country and that is reflected in the position on the land. There is still a lot of work to be done in the polders. It is not much drier in the southwest, by the way. Farmers in Groningen are in the best shape this spring. Sometimes half of the precipitation that fell in the center of the country fell there.
Slow growth
Apart from a few nights with heavy night frost (down to -9 degrees), April delivered few days with frost. Still, it was colder than average. This is also reflected in the country. Winter cereals and grass are showing decent growth, but other crops are clearly several weeks later. Onions and beets sown at the beginning of March often still have a long way to go. The initial development was slow due to the cold and rain.
The picture has been the same for weeks in a row: next week will be better. The expected stable dry period then tilts and becomes volatile again. Likewise this week. Significant rain is now expected, especially on Friday. Earlier in the week it is sometimes a bit gloomy with occasional drizzle. That doesn't cause major problems, but it doesn't dry well either. In addition, it remains – with a few exceptions – fairly fresh.
Half beets sown
The sowing data on sugar beet clearly shows where the shoe pinches. Cosun Beet Company left last week know that half of all sugar beets are now in the ground. The average sowing date is estimated at 26 April. That is not a record, but it is the most recent date since 2001. Especially in the northern clay area there is a considerable area in the ground (60%). Two-thirds still have to be sown in the east and south-east. According to the beet processor, late sowing costs about 750 kilograms of sugar per hectare.
The situation with onions is similar, so pale during a call last week. There, too, the counter was sown at 50%. This has increased by a few percent in recent days. Depending on the precipitation, some sowing was done on King's Day and also last weekend. The conditions are not always good, especially in the subsurface. Arable farmers - especially on clay soil - are now on the seesaw. Will I sow under non-ideal conditions or will I decide not to sow? Given the calendar and the weather forecast, a difficult choice to be made this week.
encrusting
Growers with onions and beets in the ground are also not without worries. The heavy rainfall has caused considerable crust formation on the clay soils. Weeding harrows, cambridge rollers or – in extreme cases – a sprinkling reel are used. A frequently heard comment is that the onions in particular have done little in terms of growth. Those who sow at the beginning of May and immediately find growing weather are not much behind, as is also thought at the moment. Sowing continues to 'reap' now.
The planting of the potatoes has resumed on the light soil. Especially in the polders and in the north of our country on lighter soils. Here, too, the surface is anything but easy. Planting and ridging in one pass is not always possible. The heavy soil simply needs time to settle, but is that granted to the grower? On the sandy soils, not all plots are suitable for driving. High and dry corners have been planted in dribs and drabs, but the wetter plots often still need to be fertilized and worked.
Do not panic
There is no panic among the potato growers yet. Certainly the long keepers look at the weather reports with mixed feelings. They see the value in the barn increasing rapidly. Planting can also take place in the second half of May or even early June, resulting in a decent yield. Side note is a late harvest moment. The absurd plays on sandy and loess soil harvest date a role, especially now. It remains to be seen how this will work out – for example, is there a chance of derogation. If that is not the case, the nitrogen reduction will most likely be taken for granted.
Nationwide 10% planted
Aviko Potato has its first Numbers published on leg progress. The processor estimates the planted area among their growers at only 10% on April 28. In Belgium this is less than 5% and in Germany 20%. In France growers have planted 5%. Especially in the early areas planted in the Netherlands. East Brabant and North and Central Limburg account for a third. Quite a bit has also been planted in Gelderland and the Emsland. In the polders and the southwest, the graph does not exceed a few percent.
Niels van der Boom
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