The cultivation season is off to a late start in Finland after a cold, wet beginning of the year.
Spring sowing is 5-10 days behind the normal schedule in various parts of Finland, according to the farming consultancy ProAgria.
Rain, chilly temperatures with late frosts and snowstorms have all delayed the start of sowing, the rural advisory organisation said on Monday.
If the weather stays dry and warm this week, farmers in southern Finland will be able to start planting within a week, possibly around Mother's Day on 12 May.
There is still plenty of snow cover in northern Finland, so agricultural producers there will still have to wait to begin sowing.
The domestic harvest season is set to begin in mid-May with the first hothouse strawberries. The first strawberries were planted in Western Finland in mid-February. The first domestic strawberries should be available in time for Mother's Day. The outdoor harvest traditionally starts just before the Midsummer holiday in late June, peaking in July.
The field harvest season, though, will start one to two weeks later than usual.
In most of Finland, the cold rainy spring has slowed the drying of the fields, which is essential before tractors can begin seeding. In many areas, there has been heavy snowfall even in the past week.
There is no panic yet about the late sowing, as long as it can be completed before the end of May, said ProAgria, which bills itself as Finland’s leading agricultural expert organisation.
Early potatoes were planted around Easter in the southwestern archipelago, in hopes of a first harvest in time for graduation parties in early June. However, the cold weather has slowed development, so the supply will probably remain low.
Wintering of autumn cereals mostly successful
The long, severe winter may have damaged some crops planted last autumn. For instance, more than a third of the rye in Ostrobothnia and South Ostrobothnia appears to be in poor shape so far. The situation can be fully assessed once all the snow is melted.
Winter wheat has fared better, with damage only seen in around 10–20 percent of the winter crop.
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