Rapeseed in the southwest is the worst in years?
To say that rapeseed is the worst in years is to make quite a strong claim. But this is actually the opinion of many hosts. What's more – this is not passing judgment by random people who grow rapeseed once every few seasons. This is what many growers with many years of experience say, who have been growing rapeseed for years, tried different varieties and sowing combinations, and at the same time have seen many things in rapeseed. Anyway, there is one conclusion resulting from conversations with farmers – it has never been this bad before. More and more results are coming from various regions of Poland and it turns out that, in general, yields are lower than expected, not only in destinations in the southwest. However, farmers from Lower Silesia and the Opole region record the highest yield declines. Of course, this is not a rigid rule, there are plantations that produce satisfactory yields, but differ from the potential resulting from the variety, location or adopted technology. We have already written about the decline in yield on farmer.pl, and the problem was discussed by, among others, ed. Anna Kobus in the text below.
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Where did the ton of rapeseed go? There will be no record harvest this year
Even before the harvest, it was obvious that the rapeseed "didn't look good". Something happened this season that was not favorable for this crop. But what? This is a combination of various unfavorable factors. Only one didn't work. It's not that only frost reduced yields, although it contributed to a large extent. The reduction in yield, which was quite significant in many locations, was caused by a number of events that influenced the difficult course of rapeseed vegetation.
From bad to average and sometimes good
In fact, if we averaged the average yield drop, we could probably actually be talking about a tonne less per hectare. It is no longer about achieving record results, because it is impossible to constantly achieve higher results from year to year. But this year it was difficult to obtain stable yields that would match the potential of the site and technology.
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Rape is growing poorly in Lower Silesia. There are no revelations
As yields dropped, a lot of money also disappeared. Because the expenditure was not small. In the comments, both here on the website and in various places on social media, there are opinions that it is again complaining, that it is not profitable, that it is not working. Agreed, if farmers complain that they have not been carrying out agrotechnics properly for years, they are probably less entitled to do so, because blaming the reason for low yields on weather conditions is at least inappropriate. But if using intensive technology on very good soils it was not possible to obtain results even close to those from the previous few years, then something is wrong. We will never know what had the greatest impact on the yield reduction, because, as we have already mentioned, there were several factors. However, we know that rapeseed, although more expensive than before harvest, will not be a profitable crop for many farms this season. We are talking here primarily about those plantations where yields of 2 – 2.5 t/ha were obtained, which was the case in many locations in the Lower Silesian, Opole and Lubuskie voivodeships (but also, as farmers report, in the Wielkopolska voivodeship and other voivodeships, especially in the west of the country). allows you to cover the costs.
We have already mentioned that farmers most often mention yields of 2.2 – 2.9 t/ha, and results above 3 t/ha are not very common. On better soils, but also with intensive technologies, it is possible to obtain above 3.3 – 3.4 t/ha, but 4 t/ha is a rarity, although such results do appear. Yet there are many reports in Lower Silesia about yields below 2 t/ha, around 1.8 t/ha. And on really solid farms.
Rapeseed failed this year, but it still fares better than wheat
Rapeseed is still better compared to, for example, wheat. At least from the pricing point of view. Consumer wheat at PLN 800/t compared to rapeseed valued at approximately PLN 2,050/t is still terrible, and the price ratio is 1:2.5. However, it cannot be denied that the hopes placed in rapeseed this year have been dashed on many, if not most, farms. The high oil content is poor consolation, because in almost every case it exceeds 42%, and we often obtain results at the level of 45 – 46%. The question is, why don't we get a higher rate for high oil? If there are deductions for low oil content, the farmer should be rewarded for providing high-quality goods with a high oil content. Meanwhile, the situation is a bit like at school. You won't get a reward for good behavior, but we will immediately punish you for bad behavior. In Poland, very few purchasing companies collect rapeseed under conditions that apply subsidies for oil.
Will there be less rapeseed?
If someone says that rapeseed has not reduced the yield this season on a national scale, they either do not know what they are talking about or have an interest in distorting reality. Sure, it wasn't very bad everywhere, there are probably locations where the yield was not reduced, but this is rather the exception that proves the rule. The yield drop was not so great in every region. It is certain that the greatest reduction concerns the south-western regions of the country, because here there were the most potentially unfavorable factors for rapeseed, and a series of frosts appeared in these regions in the most advanced stages of development (compared to, for example, eastern or northern Poland). A drop in yield of more than a tonne per hectare affects many plantations near Wrocław and Opole. However, smaller or larger declines, which do not necessarily mean a terrible harvest, concern most of the country. Perhaps we are talking about average rather than good yields in many regions, but on a national scale there will be less rapeseed.
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Short rapeseed pods and small seeds. This is also specific to this season
