The grain harvest has been halted in almost all of the Netherlands due to the rain yesterday, last night, and this morning. In recent days, arable farmers in the south and center of the country, in particular, have been able to make a good start threshing winter wheat. Yields from the early fields are generally good.
"In our area, about 30% of the winter wheat has been harvested," says Bram de Visser, sales manager at Farmplus. "The wheat harvest really got underway last weekend. In some places, for example, on Schouwen-Duiveland and Zuid-Beveland, they were rained out yesterday, but on other islands, growers were able to continue harvesting until the evening. The first customers have already finished harvesting their grain. I don't expect much to happen today due to the rain last night." De Visser notes that not all the wheat is ripe yet. "With the rain last night and the warm weather returning at the end of this week, things are going very fast."
Patience
Agrifirm has also received the first winter wheat. "The wheat harvest has started in Brabant, Limburg, Zeeland, and Flevoland. In the north of the country, we still have to be patient," says Aart den Bakker, sales manager at Agrifirm. "The average moisture content of the wheat that has been brought in is 15%. However, the range is wide, from 13% to 17% moisture. The quality of the wheat is good, and the average hectoliter weight is in the upper 70s." De Visser is also pleased with the quality of the wheat. "Moisture is on average around 15%, and the hectoliter weight is around 80 kilos."
Winter wheat yields are generally good. "Yields range from around 9,5 tons per hectare to peaks of 12,5 tons per hectare," says De Visser. "We're averaging over 10 tons, which is simply excellent." Den Bakker is even more cautious, but also mentions yields of around 10 tons for growers who have already threshed.
Winter barley almost here
The winter barley harvest is almost complete. "With the exception of a single plot in the north, all the winter barley has been harvested," says Den Bakker. "The yield and quality are good. With the brewing-suitable winter barley varieties Comtesse and Pixel, yields between 10 and 12 tons have been achieved." Farmplus reports similar yields.
The spring barley harvest has yet to get underway. Both Agrifirm and Farmplus have received their first spring barley, but it's not yet significant. "Winter grain is generally preferred in the southwest, and the later-sown spring barley, for example, needs some time to sprout after it's sown," says De Visser. Agrifirm receives a lot of spring barley from Drenthe. "The wheat harvest in the north is a bit later than in the south, and that also applies to the spring barley," says Den Bakker.
All in all, it's a good year for grains. "It's a textbook year," says De Visser. "Last fall, growers were able to sow early, and nitrogen could be applied early in the spring. As a result, the grains were already well-developed before the drought really set in. Winter barley benefited slightly more from this than winter wheat. Thanks to the dry spring, disease pressure was also low, and growers were alert to infestations thanks to last year's experiences."