EU: Analysts about Europe’s barley harvesting season

Apart from the parched Iberian Peninsula, Europe started the harvesting season with a late and cold winter, a cold spring with too little precipitation, which delayed planting of spring grains in most countries.

In late spring and early summer there were two waves of heat and dryness, although short ones. Now, in the harvesting season, rains and thunderstorms hamper harvest operations, although luckily they do not stop combining completely.

With the first crop results available, one can say that winter grains did quite well, especially in France, less so in England. For spring barley the time of planting was essential for plant development, maybe even more the type of soil, sandy soils led to premature ripening of grains during the last heat wave, heavy soils protected plants better in this unusual year.

Apart from the Iberian Peninsula and Romania/Bulgaria (EU candidates), Europe would then collect a good average crop, of course, smaller than the super crop of 2004.