Potatoes are breaking through, can back milling be done in time?

After a long period, the potatoes are finally breaking through. That is a lot later than previous years. Moreover, time is of the essence, because growers still have a lot of hectares to cultivate.

This is also shown on the plots of the growers who participate in the Boerenbusiness Crop tour clear. Due to the low temperatures, it took a long time for the young shoots to taste the first rays of the sun. Most plots were planted in mid-April and finally emerged after almost 6 weeks, such as the plot in Hellevoetsluis (South Holland) and Scharendijke (Zeeland). Both were planted on April 17. The potatoes showed hardly any growth in the first weeks, but the momentum is now picking up.

Big difference with previous years
The potatoes are at the top a lot later than in previous years. In comparison: last year at this point in time, plots had run the reel over the potatoes several times, now they are just coming up. The potatoes had been on the top for several weeks last year, but the turnout was not equally good everywhere due to the drought. In 2019, the potatoes were on average 2 weeks earlier. The photos below show a comparison of two plots in Escharen 2019 (left) and in Cuijk 2020 (right). 

Milling after emergence of potatoes
Due to the large amount and prolonged rainfall, many growers have not had the chance to mill the potatoes. This is the case at the Crop Tour plot in Dronten near Jacco van Liere, the potatoes are already upstairs. The milling disrupts the development again after the slow start. Another option is to earth the potato ridges. The higher temperatures don't make it any easier either. The crop will continue to grow quickly and in many areas the growers have to wait a little longer until it is dry enough.

Jesse Torringa

Jesse is an editor at Boerenbusiness and focuses in particular on the arable farming sector, including grain and onions. He also closely follows the fertilizer market. In addition, Jesse works on an arable farm in Groningen with seed potatoes as the main branch.

j.torringa@boerenbusiness. Nl

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