– There should have been some small grains here, then. But it’s almost nothing. It’s just some … nonsense. Corn farmer Øyvind Foss from Øvre Eiker looks down in despair at the halibut he holds in his hands. With downcast eyes, he tries to squeeze out a small, shriveled halibut grain. It is in vain. – It should have been two, three times that far. Both in size on the axis and on each individual grain. This is a sad matter, sighs Foss. Extreme weather = extremely low yield It is said that a blind hen also finds grain. In Viken – what is referred to as Norway’s granary – thousands of grain farmers have damage to their crops. First came the drought. Then the rain fell. In extreme amounts. It would hardly have helped if the hen had hawk vision, powerful glasses and a magnifying glass. The damage is a fact. The field had to have the bushel of fresh grain. This year’s grain at Øyvind Foss, not the weird stuff… Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news – Here we should actually have had trouble seeing the ground. We are talking about a third of the crop, says corn farmer Foss as he walks through a razor-thin cornfield and only observes the devastation. He has been dealing with grain for 40 years. Disposes of 2,300 targets. In just one case in his grain career, in the drought year 2018, he has applied for compensation. – I lose several millions on the area I operate. It’s sad, sad for everyone. For consumers, producers and our country. This year’s grain quality is poor. Crop damage is great. And the farmers despair. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news Never been so serious The State Administrator in Oslo and Viken receives reports about crop damage. They have never experienced mate. They usually receive between 15 and 100 applications for compensation during a normal year. Now 3,336 farmers have reported damage. Just under 2,500 are on grain. Kay Henrik Bucher, section manager in the agricultural department, underlines the importance of these being reports of possible production failure. Kay Henrik Bucher at the State Trustee. Photo: The State Administrator in Oslo and Viken/Sturlason – Only after the application deadline expires on 31 October will we know how many messages will result in an application. Bucher says he is concerned that farmers with lost fodder crops will have to slaughter animals due to lack of fodder. – It is critical. This is the income base for the farmers. We can provide support to those affected by the scheme for subsidies in the event of production failure. The grant is intended to compensate for part of the loss, but is not a full-fledged compensation scheme. It should basically only ensure the liquidity of the farmer. In short: The income base for the farmers disappears when the crops disappear. Bucher is anxious about “continuing operations at those mills that are hit so hard that it is difficult to move on”. – I have not seen such a serious situation before, he says. Giant count Now, large quantities of weather-damaged grain are rejected at the reception. A report carried out by Felleskjøpet from the beginning of August shows that the grain harvest will be 21 per cent worse nationally than last year. But the basis for the forecast was drawn up before the extreme weather “Hans”. On 7 September, the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture made a preliminary estimate for production failure. There, it is expected that Norwegian farmers will send over 6,600 applications for compensation. The bill comes to around NOK 560 million. Bad grain. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news Fresh figures (September 18) from the market regulator Felleskjøpet Agri nevertheless show that weather conditions are further worsening this year’s grain harvest. The expected supply of grain and oil crops has decreased by 155,000 tonnes compared to the previous forecast. The latest crop forecast estimates that 70,000 acres of grain will not be threshed this season. This corresponds to an area almost as large as 10,000 football pitches. In the forecast, the market regulator estimates an import requirement of 203,500 tonnes of food grains to cover consumption. The total bill is not yet known Major weather damage to the oats A couple of kilometers away from the grain fields of Øyvind Foss, at the Eiker Mølle reception, other farmers come to tip their grain. The atmosphere is serious there. Grain tipping at Eiker Mølle. But this year’s quality is poor. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news The quality of the grain is too poor to be used in food and feed production. Silo manager Kjell Erik Fjeldheim holds a fistful of stubby oat grains. He quickly states: Silo manager at Eiker Mølle Kjell Erik Fjeldheim. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news – This is very light oats, almost no weight in it – and it is weather damaged. The oats, Fjeldheim says, have been left out for too long in both drought and in the wet. – We have received little compared to what we usually get. – Is it rarely small? – Yes. About the same as in 2018, no less… The drought five years ago caused farmers a loss of around NOK 5–6 billion. Must apply for compensation Back in the cornfield, farmer Øyvind Foss mourns the season this year. He says that the goal is to always deliver good quality food. – It is what is fun, motivating and which brings money into the coffers. Instead, he will now suffer a loss of millions. He must cover 30 percent of the damage himself. – Are you applying for crop damage compensation? – Yes, I have to. This is nowhere near covering the expenses. It is not pleasant. Corn farmer Øyvind Foss shows how bad the ear of this year’s crop is. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news
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The state administrator has never received so many reports of damage to grain crops in agriculture – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
