Farmers in Battweiler are worried: Autumn weather destroys harvest hopes!

Farmers in Battweiler are worried: Autumn weather destroys harvest hopes!

farmers in the Southwest Palatinate region look at the continuing rains, which give them considerable difficulties. The originally longed -for “Golden October” is missing and the harvest is on the brink. Steffen Sewohl, a farmer from Battweiler, describes the current situation as catastrophic. So he mowed well -grown red clover last week, but the tractor -like traces left deep traces in the wet floor. "There is simply no time left to wait for the sun that is so urgently needed," he says frustrated. The clover, which usually represents a valuable energy source for the cattle, suffers from the lack of sunlight.

So far, almost all of the corn has been in the fields. After recovering from poor growth conditions at the beginning of the year, Sewell wanted to start harvesting last weekend. But the attempt had to be canceled because the field was flooded due to rainwater. "I would be flooded in the field with a full loading car," he reports, which underlines the urgency: the farmers urgently need dry weather.

challenges in seed supply

The problems do not stop at the harvest. Sewohl noticed that his exhausted rye, who had initially developed well, was flooded due to the past rains. Now he is forced to sow winter wheat. The challenge: there is hardly any seeds on the market. "The farmers have to order their required amount of seeds early. If suddenly additional seeds are required, there is often nothing left," explains Sewell and illustrates the precarious situation.

In this difficult weather situation, however, the rapeseed of the farmer is good. Thanks to earlier sowing, damage caused by snails and other pests could be avoided. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how the quality will be in the spring. "The rapeseed harvest was a zero number this year," he describes the mixed experiences. In order to secure future harvests, it is crucial that the fields are now drying so that the soil conditions for seeds are ideal.

an autumn full of challenges

Andreas Veith, also from Battweiler, uses every sunny moment to inspect his fields because he fears another rain. "If it really rains in again, we can no longer get on the fields for days," he says about the constant weather intensity that continues to exist. In the first half of September, the ideal weather still caused a successful field order, but that has changed drastically with the current conditions. The farmers fight with the forces of nature, and the joy of field work is increasingly being replaced by uncertainty.

The feedback from farmers on the current weather conditions is clear: they urgently need sunny days to dry their meadows and fields too dry. However, the predictions are anything but optimistic, which affects the early planning and implementation of the upcoming agricultural work. A comprehensive look at the challenges in the agricultural sector shows that there is a need for action to alleviate the consequences of the Wetterunbill. You can find more information here .