– Look at this, this is absolutely terrible. That’s what Lars Fredrik Stuve tells us. He is a grain farmer at Sokna in Ringerike. news is taking part in a tour of the neighbourhood, to look at the damage caused by the recent storms. The fields here are usually bright yellow in late August. Now there are patches of green over most of the cornfields in Sokna. Grain farmer Lars Fredrik Stuve is worried about the harvest, both for himself and for other grain farmers. Photo: Eirik Leivestad Hall / news It is a consequence of the extreme weather this summer. – I have never experienced that a long dry period has been followed by a major flood. And I have never experienced as much water on the property as we had now, says Stuve. He talks about the flood that came with the extreme weather “Hans”. Then the water entered the pump house on the farm. Shows a large deviation A report carried out by Felleskjøpet from the beginning of August shows that the grain harvest will be 21 per cent worse on a national basis than last year. That report came before the storm that has ravaged Eastern Norway for the past month. The figure will therefore in all likelihood be higher, says senior advisor at Felleskjøpet, Sigbjørn Vedeld. – There is absolutely reason to assume that the extreme weather in August has further affected the grain harvest in a negative direction, says Vedeld. The fields should have been bright yellow at the end of August. The weather has caused regrowth on the cereal plants in Ringerike. Photo: Eirik Leivestad Hall / news The rainfall in August has caused large, green patches to appear on the fields. This is called trailing, and it causes the side shoots on the cereal plant to appear a second time. – This means that I have to thresh in two rounds. First what is ripe soon, and then what may be ripe in a good while, explains corn farmer Lars Fredrik Stuve. It also means that farmers get less time to thresh all the grain they grow. This can lead to large income losses. Moisture damages the fields The corn farmers in Ringerike have now gathered for a meeting with the farmers’ team at Klækken Hotell. Among others, the Food Safety Authority and a representative from the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken have made the journey here, to advise the bewildered farmers. The questions are many. The grain farmers in Ringerike have gathered for an information meeting under the auspices of Buskerud Farmers’ Association. Lars Fredrik Stuve can be seen on the table at the front, together with farmers’ association leader Bernt Gran. Photo: Eirik Leivestad Hall / news Lars Fredrik Stuve is also deputy chairman of Buskerud Bondelag, and is therefore helping to organize the meeting. – The other farmers say that it is so raw and damp on the fields that there are heavy marks from the thresher. It damages the soil, says Stuve. Bad soil means bad grain. It is likely that much of this year’s grain harvest will be of less good quality. That’s what Otto Galleberg, head of section in the agricultural department at the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken, says. – A large proportion of the grain will not meet the requirements for food grain, but will instead be classified as feed grain, explains Galleberg. Major economic consequences There is cause for concern for the farmers in Ringerike. The price difference is 90 øre per kilo between food grain and feed grain. It can have major financial consequences, even with a compensation scheme. The farmers must still cover the first 30 percent of the loss. The aftergrowth on the cereal plants is clearly visible on the plot of land owned by Lars Fredrik Stuve at Sokna in Ringerike. Photo: Eirik Leivestad Hall / news Therefore, many grain farmers will make a loss this autumn, unless there is a weather miracle from above. – Lots of sun and wind is what we need now. It can save the stumps that are left, concludes the grain farmer at Sokna. Hi! Do you recognize yourself in this case? Or do you have tips for something else I should write about? Send me an email, I’d love to hear from you!
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– Never experienced anything like this – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
