German arable farmers have sown considerably more winter wheat for the coming harvest. The Germans are less interested in barley, corn and sugar beets, according to preliminary figures from Destatis. Potatoes are popular, according to the German statistics service, with an expansion of almost 5%. In the US, sowing of corn, soy and spring barley is proceeding at a rapid pace. However, not everything is going smoothly. The condition of winter wheat has deteriorated somewhat, according to the latest Crop Progress report.
The September wheat contract on the Matif closed yesterday €2 lower at €202,25 per tonne. On the CBoT, grains were on the rise during the last trading session. Wheat closed 0,8% higher at $5.29 per bushel. Corn did slightly better than wheat on the Chicago exchange and gained 0,9% to $4.47½ per bushel. Soybeans moved more sideways and were up ¾ cent to $10.50¾ per bushel.
German arable farmers have sown 2025% more winter wheat for the 12,2 harvest compared to a year earlier. This was announced yesterday by the German Statistical Office Destatis. This is a fraction less than the 12,3% expansion that the office had expected in December. According to the provisional figures, the area of winter wheat will therefore amount to 2,78 million hectares. The reason for the larger area of winter wheat is easy to explain. In the autumn of 2023 it was wet and it was not possible to sow the winter grains, while last autumn the weather cooperated.
Compared to last season, slightly more rapeseed was also sown in Germany. Destatis assumes a 1,5% larger area of 1,1 million hectares. Barley is somewhat out of favor with German farmers. The area of winter barley has shrunk by 6,4% to 1,22 million hectares. Spring barley has been sown 7,3% less, which amounts to 334.000 hectares. Maize is also being grown less in Germany. The area of grain maize has shrunk by 2,8% to 484.000 hectares and silage maize has been sown 5,4% less. This means that 1,94 hectares of silage maize is grown by German farmers.
Potatoes remain popular
There are also some shifts in the root crops. The area of sugar beets is 6,6% smaller compared to last season at 408.500 hectares. According to the provisional figures, more potatoes have been planted in our eastern neighbours. The area is growing by 4,8% from 282.200 hectares last season to 295.700 hectares this season.
Half of the corn is above
In the US, farmers are keeping up the pace with spring operations. 78% of planned corn acreage is in the ground, compared to 73% in the five-year average, according to the weekly update in the USDA Crop Progress report. Half of the corn planted is now above ground, compared to 40% in the five-year average. Soybeans are two-thirds planted in the US and 34% are already above ground.
The sowing of spring wheat and barley is also going fast. Of the planned area of spring wheat, 82% is in the ground compared to 65% in the five-year average. For spring barley, 75% is sown compared to 72% in the five-year average. The status of winter wheat has not improved according to the USDA. This week, 52% of the area of winter wheat is rated good or excellent compared to 54% last week and 49% this week last year. The wheat is growing and 64% is now in the ear. The five-year average is 58%.
Potatoes are not included in the Crop Progress report, but sugar beets are. In the four major states (Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota and North Dakota) where 85% of the beets are grown, the sowing is completely finished. In the five-year average, only 81% of the planned area of beets has been sown this week.