Grass harvest is booming in the Märkisches Kreis: farmers breathe up!

Grass harvest is booming in the Märkisches Kreis: farmers breathe up!

The green-released gave gratifying results for farmers in the Märkisches Kreis and Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis. Heiner Born, a local farmer from Breckerfeld, reports of sufficient rains that led to good income. Christoph Berbecker from Halver and Dietmar Trimpop from Schalksmühle also share this positive assessment. In some cases, a particularly early vegetation in spring enabled farmers to harvest up to five grass cuts. "That gives us a little buffer for future years," adds Born.

The past few years have been unsatisfactory for farmers, especially in the dry seasons between 2018 and 2020 and in 2022, when harvests often failed. However, this year, the farmers report, the animals came over the summer. "There was enough food on the meadows, so that no grass from the current harvest had to be fed," explains Trimpop.

challenges due to changeable weather

Despite the good grass harvest, there were also challenges that arose due to the changeable weather. Christoph Berbecker explains that the rainfall often thwarted during the harvest time. "Those who were not fast enough with the harvest have had to deal with the loss of quality," added Trimpop. Berbeck experienced this problem first -hand when the rain let him soak the freshly mown. "We are glad that it was not a drought year," Born summarizes the situation.

The grain harvest, on the other hand, was less pleasant. Heiner Born expresses that the yields are below expectations, speaking of a decline in harvesting of almost 20 percent compared to normal years. Instead of the usual 8 tons per hectare, it was only 6.5 tons this year. The reasons are again the heavy rains that have caused waterlogging in many fields.

The agricultural scientist Dietmar Trimpop also points out that the soil quality in the Schalksmühler altitude area may have led to better results. The high number of stone in the ground reduces the compression, lets water drain better and ensures that the soil holds warm temperatures in summer.

forecast for the corn harvest

The region is currently in the middle of the corn harvest, but it is still too early to make an assessment. However, the warm weeks in late summer would have given the corn, which appreciates less moist conditions, a growth thrust. The farmers are optimistic that the harvest could also be positive here. In addition, the good grass harvest could at least partially absorb losses in feed corn.

Overall, farmers are satisfied with this year's harvest, which all three participants emphasize. The fuss about the weather conditions makes it clear that there are many imponderables in agriculture: "Every year is different and you have to adapt constantly," Trimpop describes the challenges of the profession. "There is no year that is like the other." The hope of similar income in the coming years remains, but nature can always have surprises.

Further information on the harvesting conditions and the current challenges for farmers can be found here .