Heavy downpours halting cereal planting, complicating sugar beet harvest in NRW
Unrelenting rain showers across North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) have causally disrupted the sowing of cereals and sugar beet harvesting on many farms. Thomas Forstreuter, managing director of the Westphalian-Lippe Agricultural Association, shared with the dpa news agency that given the heavy soils, some cereal seeding is yet to commence. Consequently, the effects on the already planted areas remain uncertain, with potential necessity for reseeding in those territories.
Unfavorable conditions are also afflicting fields in the Rhineland, postponing the winter cereal planting mostly. Bernd Lüttgens, managing director of the Rhineland Agricultural Association, informed dpa that while late planting is permitted up until December commencement, there are currently no signs pointing to a 2024 harvest impact.
According to the NRW Chamber of Agriculture, the state of the sugar beet and potato harvests is varying throughout the regions. Jan-Malte Wichern, the Chamber's spokesperson, reported that more than half of the Rhineland-based sugar beet has been gathered already. Nevertheless, the process has been complicated due to the machines sinking or getting stuck in the mud. There is a risk of soil compaction, and the harvest quality may deteriorate in select instances.
Wichern explained that the sugar beet yields have exceptionally surged due to the rain, despite the sugar contents remaining average. Regarding the potatoes, aside from the last remaining sections, the harvest has been completed, experiencing considerable obstacles due to moisture.
The Chamber of Agriculture pointed out that the prolific rainfall also promised positive consequences for the soil, making ample water reserves available in the northern regions' largely sandy soil and rejuvenating water reservoirs in the loess soils of the conveyor regions. If normal winter rainfall ensues, the 2024 growing season kickstart would not be impeded.
The current wet weather conditions pose a strain on the agricultural sector in NRW, causing delays in cereal sowing and posing hurdles to the sugar beet harvest. Consequently, some areas will likely require reseeding, and sugar beet harvesting equipment may face challenges from mud-induced sinking or getting stuck.
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