Agriculture - Farmers expect average grain harvest - pests in rapeseed
Farmers in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern expect an average to good wheat harvest this year. According to Farmers' President Karsten Trunk in Papendorf near Rostock, half of the winter wheat, the first type of cereals, has been harvested nationwide.
The results are regionally varied. "Depending on whether there were heavy thunder showers in the region or rain areas passing by strictly, farmers have harvested average to slightly above-average yields," he said at the traditional harvest press conference of the Farmers' Association.
Wheat cultivation dominates
Farmers in the northeast therefore hope for a good yield from their main crop, winter wheat. The Farmers' President emphasized: "It's important that not only the quantity, but also the quality is right." In the previous year, a large part of the wheat harvest could not be sold as bread, but only as feed grain.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Farmers' Association reports that around 526,500 hectares of wheat are grown this year - that's almost 40% of the total cultivated area. The wheat cultivation has therefore been declining for the fifth year in a row. In 2019, it was 582,000 hectares according to the Statistical Office.
Sugar beets, corn, and potatoes benefit
While the uncertain weather in this summer poses challenges for farmers during the wheat harvest - according to Trunk, the harvest has been delayed in the last few days due to strong showers - other crops benefit from the heavy rain. Among these, according to the Farmers' President, are sugar beets, corn, and potatoes.
Farmers in the northeast are looking at the imminent rapeseed harvest with concern. "A massive pest infestation since the fall is causing poor yields to be expected here," Trunk said and lamented that farmers have fewer and fewer suitable pesticides at their disposal. The chance for pests to develop resistances is increasing accordingly. Farmers need, like doctors in human medicine, a broad spectrum of active ingredients, according to the Farmers' President.
"Need a broad spectrum of active ingredients"
In the European Union, this has been recognized, and the planned regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products has been postponed this year. "Germany, however, is on the brakes and is threatening to increasingly restrict the cultivation of cereals and oil crops in Germany with the 'Future Program Pflanzenschutz'," criticized Trunk.
- Despite the heavy rain causing delays in the wheat harvest, farmers are optimistic about the quality of the remaining wheat, hoping for an average to good yield.
- In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, potatoes are expected to benefit from the abundant rain, as they are among the crops that thrive in wet conditions.
- The president of the Farmers' Association in Rostock, Karsten Trunk, expressed concern about the upcoming rapeseed harvest due to a pest infestation that has been affecting the crops since fall.
- The decline in wheat cultivation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for the fifth year in a row has led to a decrease in the total cultivated area, with only 526,500 hectares of wheat grown this year compared to 582,000 hectares in 2019.
- Farmers in the region are advocating for a broad spectrum of active ingredients in pesticides, as they see a growing need for diverse solutions to combat pests, similar to the approach in human medicine.
