The grain collectors have received almost all of the winter barley. In this way the balance can be drawn up. The yield and quality figures are generally not disappointing. The situation is different on drought-sensitive soils. A lack of moisture has clearly left its mark there. Whether the excellent numbers are an indicator of the wheat harvest remains to be seen. The companies are not so sure yet.
In almost all growing areas, winter barley is in its final stages or has already been completely completed. At the end of June, threshing of winter barley could start historically early in the south and southeast. Last weekend most barley was harvested in the center and north. There is even one in the southwest start made with the first winter wheat. In addition to CZAV, Agrifirm has also already received wheat. That is historically early.
Soil type determines yield
The yield growers achieve with winter barley on the banks largely depends on the soil type. Roughly speaking, barley has done well in clay soil. On the (drought-sensitive) sandy soil it is a completely different story, notes Carl Pijls of Agrea: "Growers who have not irrigated achieve a maximum of 5 tons per hectare, while elsewhere it is between 9 and 11 tons. The spread is therefore greater than us a year ago Sawing." Everywhere was sown early and under good conditions. A nice autumn allowed the barley to develop well and a mild winter accelerated that development.
"If you have administered nitrogen on time, the barley has benefited greatly from it," says Bram de Visser of CZAV. “We are seeing extremely good yields in the south-west, up to 12,5 tonnes per hectare.”
Changing hectoliters
In addition to the yields, the hectoliter weights are also good, but with a wide spread. That is not surprising for barley. George Pars, from the company of the same name from Sint Jacobiparochie, sees that most of the barley has been brought in with a hectoliter weight of 62-63. There are also peaks down to 57. The top this season is 70. "The height of the hectoliter weight also depends on the breed," says Pijls. Most winter barley is sold as feed barley. An exception to this is Agrifirm, which focuses on the malting barley market with the Pixel variety. "Most barley is brewable this season, which gives growers a nice brewing premium," says Aart den Bakker, Grains Manager. Pars mainly sells feed barley locally to livestock farmers in the region and thus tries to create added value.
Winter barley has acquired a permanent place in the cropping plan for arable farmers on clay soil. Having the land free early and being able to sow green manure in a timely manner is worth something to them. It also ensures harvest spread. A modest increase in the area is noticeable on sandy soil. Agrifirm in particular saw growers sow more barley this year. Den Bakker explains: "On sandy soil, growers can still sow marigolds after barley to combat nematodes." It is difficult to say exactly how large the barley area is, because no area data are available due to a late Combined declaration.
Hesitations about wheat
As a rule, an excellent barley yield also means good figures for wheat. Opinions differ as to whether that will be the case this year. In the far south of our country, Pijls is not so sure about that. "Barley took off before the real heat arrived. We had a heat wave here and that caused the early winter wheat to ripen quickly. Perhaps the late wheat has been able to benefit from rain and will perform better." In the southwest, De Visser sees that the early wheat also produces a good yield. "The sowing was done early and the plots that were fertilized in time gave a good yield. It won't be a winner, like last year, but it will be above average. We will probably reach that 10 tons."
It is striking that wheat is much further grown in the south than in the northern Netherlands, where the plots are often still green. Pars is satisfied with the wheat season. "The problems with waterlogging and precipitation were not too bad. Due to the drought, it will not be a success, especially on plots that were fertilized late."
The grain experts are unanimous about the summer grains (barley and wheat): it will not be easy in many places. De Visser: "It was possible to sow seeds in mid-February and those plots are in good condition. When we were able to get back on the land after six weeks, it was too late. Those crops suffered greatly from the drought."