Fields covered in rain - Corn, sugar beets, and potatoes to be planted later.
Wet fields are causing problems for farmers as they struggle to carry out their tasks, according to the Münster Chamber of Agriculture. The damp soil makes it difficult to fertilize and tend to crops. There's been quite a mix of development stages because of the different sowing times of winter wheat in the previous autumn.
Corn and sugar beet sowing, as well as potato planting, have been delayed due to the poor road conditions for heavy machinery. Just the last fields of corn were recently sown, at the beginning of June, the Chamber said. It's yet to be seen how the shorter growth period until harvest will affect the yield. In May, there were incidents of heavy rain or hail damaging young beet plants, especially in the Rhineland and Lower Rhine regions.
Fruit and vegetable farmers are also feeling the impact of the rain. Because the fields are currently off-limits, work is being held up. It's not just planting veggies, but also maintaining them. With the warm, humid weather, the risk of fungal infections is high too. Despite the challenges, the Rhineland fruit and vegetable growers are thankful they've avoided major flood damage so far, said a representative.
Rainy weather doesn't just cause headaches for strawberry growers. In some areas, it's led to fruit rot, but it's also provided helpful watering for larger fruits to grow. Karl Schulze Welberg, an advisor at the Chamber of Agriculture in Münster, confirmed that there's a good supply of strawberries of good quality. June is the big harvest month for this popular berry fruit. The season lasts for different types and cultivation methods through to autumn.
More farms in North Rhine-Westphalia are now protecting strawberries with plastic covers, shielding them from rain. Some farmers are even allowing customers to pick their own strawberries in the tunnels. 350 farmers in North Rhine-Westphalia grow strawberries.
