The government has declared a state of emergency in agriculture, which will allow farmers to obtain the support they need more efficiently. Although the situation varies from one district to another, and the worst of it is in Vidzeme and Latgale, overall this summer is proving to be one of the most difficult stretches of recent years. Farmers are managing risk, and often face hard decisions – not all of the harvest can be gathered in time, and some crops have to be sacrificed. Some are choosing to start threshing early, without waiting for the crop to ripen fully, so as not to lose the whole harvest. The government's decision is the right one, and the situation calls for a rapid response, but at the same time we need to think about long-term solutions in order to reduce harvest losses or the negative impact on quality in future.

Threshing begins despite the wet

The situation in Kurzeme is considerably better than in Latgale, although of course there are differences between locations even within a single region. Farmers are trying to make use of every sunny day, because the weather forecasts ahead are not encouraging. Many have started threshing despite the moisture, and some farms are even seeing comparatively high oil yields – in individual cases as much as 47.4%, which counts as a very good result. The average yield at present is around 3 t/ha. At the same time, a large proportion of the crop is still standing in the fields because it has not fully ripened. It should also be borne in mind that the oilseed rape had already suffered from spring frosts this year.

Some grain fields have lodged

The weather has also affected the specific weight of the grain – that is, the mass of grain per given unit of volume (usually kg/hl) is lower than the accepted standard. This means poorer grain quality – large grains are mixed in with small and empty ones, so the crop is diverted to animal feed, which also means a lower price. The grain price is not high as it is, and if the crop has to go for feed, the returns are lower still. Already now it is clear that some fields have lodged. If the rain continues, the grain will start to germinate and a further share will have to be classified as feed. A great deal depends on the variety, of course. Late varieties germinate, grow and ripen over a longer period and so far they have not been affected as badly. Observations at this point suggest that wheat varieties such as “Etana” and “Nida” are showing greater resilience, at least for now, and have not lodged. Nobody was prepared for weather like this – up to the Līgo festivities the moisture levels were about right; it was not exactly a dry year, but there was no cause for concern either. Then July made its own adjustments, and at the moment the weather is very hard to predict.

Powdery mildew and sooty mould

The weather is showing no mercy, and the problems with pests have not gone away either. In May powdery mildew was seen developing, and a T1 fungicide treatment helped against it. Some farms also carried out a T2 treatment at the earing stage to protect the upper leaves. Others, hoping to save money, did not. In places there was also sooty mould – a fungal infection that forms black, soot-like coatings on plant surfaces, particularly on the leaves, stems and ears.

Harvesting winter wheat at the risk of losing the rape crop

At the moment farmers are using every dry spell to bring in the harvest. Unfortunately, the beans have begun to germinate while still in the pod, and the oilseed rape has started to germinate too, which is obviously not good. Traditionally the rape would have been threshed by this point, but this year harvesting it has been delayed and the wheat is already ready. Some are rushing to bring in the winter wheat and risking the loss of the rape crop, while others are opting for the rape, fearing that hail will set in. Leaving the most productive field until last can mean being caught by hail. Unfortunately, rape is a crop whose hail damage can still be felt in subsequent years. Every farmer weighs up the risks and decides what to get threshed first.

Certified material also means fresher seed

This weather simply has to be got through, but at the same time we need to think about long-term solutions and reducing risk – by using certified seed, for example. Using seed taken from a neighbour, you can add weeds such as brome to all of the problems mentioned above, and they are very expensive to fight. Certified material also means fresher seed: C2, for instance, is the second reproductive generation after the original variety material, which means guaranteed germination capacity and purity. Quality seed is not cheap, of course, so it would be very worthwhile for Latvia to follow the example of Lithuania, where state support is given to farmers and growers who use certified seed. It is part of the rural support programme. The state of emergency this year may prompt policymakers in Latvia to give some thought to a support arrangement of this kind as well, to help farmers reduce their risks.

All in all, this season has become a severe test for Latvia's farmers, throwing into relief both the unpredictability of the weather and the need for effective risk management and a long-term strategy. At the same time this crisis is an opportunity – it can serve as a spur to improving support mechanisms at national level, including the introduction of support for the use of certified seed, as is already happening in neighbouring countries.