Estonian winter barley harvest starts with strong yields

Major grain growers in Järva County, including Estonia OÜ and Väätsa Agro, started harvesting winter barley in the first half of the week. Work continued at full speed over the weekend as dry weather is not expected to last long.

Väätsa Agro technical manager Argo Arras reported from the combine that the current yield is 9.26 metric tons per hectare, which he described as a very good yield. Agronomist Kert Kiis also noted the harvest is good: "The field looks nice, there is a crop, the grain is already dry and fully ready for harvest."

Estonia agronomist Toomas Printsmann said none of the barley fields yielded less than seven metric tons per hectare, but none exceeded ten tons either.

Although the harvest is expected to be solid, getting it off the field comes with challenges. Kiis noted uneven ripening: some areas are lodged, some tangled by rain. There has been a lot of precipitation, and some green kernels are mixed in. Printsmann also observed uneven ripening: "The wheel tracks stayed green. But we cannot wait for everything to ripen perfectly. The weather does not support uniform ripening."

There is also a lot of lodged grain this year. "Summer storms, stronger thunderstorms and heavier rain showers have knocked down a lot of the crop," Printsmann said.