© Magazine image
The area under peas was greatly increased this year. LEHTIKUVA / Viena Kytöjoki
This year, a slightly lower than normal harvest is expected due to the exceptionally dry early summer. Growth in cereals and oilseeds in particular has been worse than usual, according to a July seasonal survey by the Confederation of Finnish Agricultural and Forestry Producers (MTK).
– As a long-term trend, it can be said that the exceptional years come one after the other. The drought was a very severe place in places in early summer, and then the place in places came too much water in early July. I don’t know if this is due to climate change or whether it will be at the peak of normal annual fluctuations, but yes, there have been quite exceptional weather conditions here for many years, MTK Agriculture Director Johan Åberg commented to STT.
818 farmers from all over Finland responded to MTK’s survey.
The majority of farmers suffer from drought
More than 80 percent of farmers report that drought during the growing season has caused problems for cultivation. Cereals in particular have suffered. There have also been problems with the growth of the second crop of protein crops and grass.
According to Åberg, southwestern Finland has done the worst. On average, the situation has been slightly better in the north and east.
– Based on several surveys, Satakunta and Varsinais-Suomi have been the most difficult end. There is a lot of clay soil, the winter was mild and the ground was not frosted. The soil structure was basically weak as early as early summer, the fields dried slowly and the clay soils suffered from the heat and drought of early summer, Åberg says.
By investing in the growing condition of the field and expanding the range of crops, farmers can diversify the risks, he said.
The corona situation stalled to invest in peas and kidney beans
Nearly 40 percent of farmers said they plan to grow more protein crops in the future, especially peas and kidney beans. According to Åberg, there are several reasons for this, but the corona situation has contributed.
– One of the uncertainties that became apparent quite quickly was that there may be problems with the availability of protein feed and especially soya if the corona situation in South America continues and worsens. In the spring, we were very active in marketing this and made few changes to our support policy. We got some support for peas and kidney beans, he says.
However, Åberg emphasizes that the feed industry has long wanted to reduce its dependence on soy. For example, the area under peas was strongly increased this year.