Future of agriculture: grain harvest sinks, farmers complain about fertilizer!

Future of agriculture: grain harvest sinks, farmers complain about fertilizer!

Hildesheim, Deutschland - The German farmers are looking forward to a challenging year. The grain harvest has experienced a noticeable decline in the past two decades. According to Land and Forst , the harvest from 2004 to 2025 has decreased by nine million tons, which corresponds to an average annual reduction of 0.9 %. The reasons for this decline are diverse and range from exhausted soils to strict political guidelines that set tight limits to the fertilizers of farmers.

An example of the farmers' dilemma is Wilken Hunze from Banteln (Gronau). Around a quarter of its space lies in the area classified as a "red area", which means that it can only fertilize 20 % of the usual amount. This has a direct impact on the quality of the grain, since the required protein content is often not achieved. While a large part of his cultivation comes to Cloppenburg/Vechta as a feed grain, Hunze still hopes for a good harvest. This is primarily thanks to the ability of its soils to store water. The rain that failed to fail in April and May came in good time to gain ears and grain filling, which caused the expectations of the harvest.

grain harvest 2024 and the challenges

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture , shows that the grain harvest is expected to be around 34.5 million tons this year, which corresponds to a decrease of 9.1 % compared to the previous year. Winter wheat in particular is affected, the yields of which have broken down by 14.8 %, while the acreage was reduced by 11.8 %. The hectare yield is now 72.4 Decitons, which also means a decline. Only the summer wheat harvest looks Rosiger, with an increase to almost four times the previous year.

Overall, 2024 is considered to be disadvantageous to agriculture, especially due to the most extreme weather conditions that have strongly influenced the area. This includes floods and late frosts that have caused a lot of damage not only in grain, but also in fruit trees such as apples and cherries. The decline in the apple harvest is estimated, for example, to 26.3 % compared to the tenth average.

future development

The overall German grain harvest seems to come under pressure and a clear trend can be seen. Agriculture must already adapt to climatic changes that could further influence the harvest yields. The support measures of the BMEL for climate adjustment are becoming increasingly important. Oh, the current figures clarify that farmers have succeeded best to react to the crises and adapt accordingly.

As the numbers from the Federal Information Center Agriculture , the grain harvest is around 34.52 million tons about 9 % below the previous year In addition, the average of 2018 to 2023 by almost 10 %. This means that many farmers face the challenge of sustainable their soils and at the same time to comply with the political requirements.

The next four weeks until the harvest are crucial, because the weather can be changed quickly. The farmers in the region have to set all levers in motion to get the best out of this harvest, while the pressure continues to increase due to falling yields and increasing requirements.

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OrtHildesheim, Deutschland
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