Hot weather scorching the farmers

Inna Malm. Photo: Remo Tõnismäe

The heat is oppressing both plant and animal farmers but the situation in different ends of Estonia may look like night and day.

Many plant and animal farmers suffer from the drought and scorching heat. The heat wave means decreasing output for many, but the prices for the consumer depend on how the crops ripen and how much of it is there.

People at the Saunja-Sassi farm in Harju county say that they have been reducing potato farming recently to 1.2 hectares while most of the field is under grain. Yet the situation is not good. “We cannot say about the late potato but the harvest of the early potato is very small. The soil is light here and rainfall was minimal,” said the mistress of the farm Inna Malm.

Over a month without rain

“The potato just would not grow,” said Einar Saar, the master of the Saare-Anni farm in Tartu county, who has potatoes planted on 30 hectares. “There is nothing to be happy about. We have no irrigation but we could really use it. We have not had rain for 40 days, the early potato is failing,” he added.

They are digging the early potato but there is next to nothing – the heat has simply stopped the growth.

The farmers have yet another problem with potato: this spring was not good for plants so that the potato was planted late and then suffered from coal. And that was followed by the heat and drought. “You cannot beat the nature,” the experienced potato farmer remained stoical.

The heat wave was a serious problem for animal breeders as well since high temperatures disturb the livestock’s welfare, reducing both the output and impregnation.

Kaja Piirfeldt, dairy farmer from Harju county, said that the hot weather has considerable impact on her business. As for plant growing, she was lucky to have rain in her area.

“But I have some farmer acquaintances who say that they have had no rain at all.” High temperatures are also hazardous for livestock. “Starting from 25 degrees centigrade is too hot for cows. We just milked them and milk output is by one third less than regular,” Piirfeldt pointed out.

“Those who have ventilators can reduce the heat [for animals] but cannot eliminate it. The farmers with smaller herds can cool and water them. Everybody has shelter. Bugs and gadflies keep biting the animals bred for meat,” Piirfeldt said.

Winter corn is more heat-resistant

According to her, darker animals suffer the worst – her three cows are panting all the day. Piirfeldt said that luckily none of her animals has died of heat stroke this year.

If a cow suffers a heat stroke, one has to pout cold water over it, take the animal in shade and cover with a while cloth if possible, she explained.

The drop of milk output means financial loss for the farmer and lower income: since the price of milk is determined by Europe, the Estonian producers’ situation has no effect on the prices here.

The situation with grain differs: Roomer Sõrmus, head of the Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce, explained that the lasting heat wave has certainly caused harm but this cannot be extended all over Estonia, since the weather differs: some areas have seen rain and others suffer from complete drought.

Also much depends on the soil of the specific area.

“Winter corn is no so bad off but summer corn has been definitely harmed,” Sõrmus said. Regarding the hot weather it is good that the growing of winter corn is increasing in Estonia: winter wheat covers 75 percent of wheat fields and winter rape amounts to 85 percent of rape this year. The winter crops are better equipped to survive drought.

“There are problems with summer barley, which is also grown on large areas,” Sõrmus said.