Munzenberg (dpa/lhe) - Hessian farmers ended the grain harvest unusually early and are expecting above-average yields in some cases. The harvest was "record-breaking" well advanced and ended about two to three weeks earlier than in previous years, said the President of the Hessian Farmers' Association, Karsten Schmal, on Tuesday in Munzenberg, according to a statement. The winter wheat harvest is also in its final stages. Only remaining areas are still threshed, especially in the north of the country.
According to Schmal, the first yield reports for winter barley so far show an average to above-average harvest result. However, winter wheat was clearly affected by the drought in June and July: "The wheat yield is very heterogeneous - yield and quality have suffered greatly in some regions - but in other regions good to above-average yields have also been achieved in some cases." So far, the yields from rapeseed have been at a satisfactory level, which is also above average in the region.
According to the president of the association, one of the problem children is the persistent drought, which also affects livestock farmers in particular. They were increasingly worried about the food supply for their animals. The cost increases as a result of the Ukraine war also presented farmers with problems: Exploding input prices for fertilizer or energy, for example, made economic activity difficult. According to Schmal, he is not very optimistic that the Hessian farmers will be able to keep the crop yields at the previous level in the coming years.
