Sowing wheat and barley is difficult in Europe. The start of harvest 2020 is therefore not ideal. Particularly in northwestern Europe, persistent rain has caused problems with sowing. Winter weather continues to affect growers in North America as well.
Arable farmers in the United Kingdom and Ireland are experiencing very wet conditions this autumn. This not only complicates the potato harvest, but also makes it difficult to sow grain.
England takes the cake
It is wet everywhere in the United Kingdom, but the south-west and the center of England take the cake. Rivers have burst their banks there for the second time this year. This makes sowing almost impossible. In Eastern England, the bread basket of the country, the heavy clay soil is also difficult to sow.
On the other side of the water, sowing is also delayed. For example, in France only 30% of the wheat has been sown, while normally this is 50%. Half of the winter barley is now in the ground. Normally that is 60%. Harvesting also goes less smoothly. In addition to a considerable acreage of potatoes, a lot of (grain) maize still needs to be harvested. Still half, compared to 90% on average.
Harvest has priority
In the Netherlands, arable farmers are especially busy getting potatoes and other crops off the land. Where possible, plowing and sowing wheat have already started. However, the conditions for this are far from ideal. In Germany this picture differs per region. There are regions where sowing is lagging behind due to excessive rainfall. This rain also makes harvesting the grain maize more difficult. Yields are below average due to drought this season.
The relatively high temperatures cause increased aphid pressure. This is particularly an issue for winter barley. Night frost and day temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius are therefore welcome.
Russia sows record area
Further to the east it is drier and sowing goes more smoothly. An estimated 17,5 million hectares of winter grain have been sown in Russia. That is an increase of 200.000 hectares compared to last year and is also a record amount. This area consists of 90% wheat.
In North America, the wheat harvest is still on the agenda. In the United States, 96% has now been harvested. The harvest is usually completed at the end of October. Sowing is more than 75% completed. In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, 34% of the wheat has yet to be harvested. In Alberta it is 37%. Snow fell again in Canada this weekend, further complicating the grain harvest and deteriorating quality.
Corn and soy crops are progressing slowly
A lot still needs to be done in the area of the grain maize harvest. Farmers in the United States harvest 30%, while the average is 50%. Only 86% of the corn is ripe, compared to 100% on the 5-year average. The trade is particularly curious about the yields, which are extremely heterogeneous and vary greatly per state. Moreover, at this time the earlier sown maize is being threshed, while the late sown plots produce the lowest yields. The soybean harvest is also painfully slow.