drought worries farmers

“We have our eyes glued to the weather to see if the rain will arrive in the next few days”, affirms Benoît Piétrement, president of the council specializing in field crops of FranceAgriMer and grain producer in the Marne. ” We know that there are lands where the impact of drought is already there. But, for the moment, on the whole, everything is not going too badly. We have to see in the long term, he adds.

The rising mercury, the delaying rains… concern is mounting among farmers, cereal growers and breeders alike. Certainly, according to the latest tally carried out in the fields by FranceAgriMer, the impact of the lack of water is not yet felt on the state of winter cereal crops. Thus, the Céré’Obs observatory judges that 89% of common wheat crops are in good or very good condition, compared to 79% reached a year earlier at the same period. For winter barley, this rate is 86% compared to 76% in 2021, and 83% compared to 69% for durum wheat. But this field data is from May 2. Before the sharp rise in temperatures.

However, the period is sensitive, common wheat, barley and durum wheat being at the heading stage, that is to say the formation of the ear and grains. “We have quite promising cultivation potential. But we are entering a delicate period for the plant. Farmers are waiting for the rain to keep this potential”, explains Catherine Cauchard, Céré’Obs project manager. ” With the lack of precipitation, soil moisture is low. On my farm, I received 125 millimeters of water since the 1er January, including 7.7 millimeters in the last monthtestifies Eric Thirouin, president of the General Association of Wheat Producers, cereal producer in Eure-et-Loir. For a week, we have been witnessing stalls on small land, where the soils are shallower. Instead of flourishing, the plant becomes stunted and you start to see the ground. »

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Regarding maize sowing, 80% of it is carried out throughout the national territory. “The soils are pretty dry everywhere. It was particularly difficult in Brittany. The sowing was done in relatively good conditions, it is more problematic for emergence »specifies Benoît Piétrement. For spring crops such as corn or sunflower, water is not the major concern. But the fact that the emergence is slow encourages crows or pigeons to come and chew on the young plant. They are fond of the first shoot. Sometimes you have to re-sow »says Mr. Thirouin.

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