Harvest 2024: “A black year for French agriculture”

Published Aug 15, 2024

Tridge summary

The Valfrance cooperative has reported a significant decrease in harvest volumes for winter barley and soft wheat, with a projected shortfall of 170,000 to 180,000 t, due to an overall decline of 25%. This is attributed to irregular and disappointing yields, with some areas experiencing drops of up to 50%, leading to morale issues for farmers and potential cash flow problems. The reduced yields are expected to impact straw availability and increase grain purchasing needs for animal farmers. This situation is part of a larger trend, with the 2024 soft wheat harvest projected to be one of the lowest in the past 40 years, amidst challenges like drought, excess water, and lack of sunshine.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

In its latest harvest update, the Valfrance cooperative, based in Oise and Seine-et-Marne, noted an overall decline of 25% in average volumes for winter barley and soft wheat harvests. "This represents a shortfall of 170,000 to 180,000 t on the scale of the cooperative on a harvest that is usually around 850,000 t", indicates its director, Laurent Vittoz: "It's a black year for French agriculture". The harvest ended this Monday at Nicolas Gaillard's, a mixed crop-livestock farmer and agricultural works contractor in the north of the Dordogne. He also reports "a short year with very irregular and disappointing yields in places. The quality is very average but not so bad if we compare it to the 2007 harvest for the sector", he recalls. "In soft wheat, the PS are often low, around 72-74 kg/hl (sometimes below 70 kg/hl), except for hard wheat reaching 78-79 kg/hl, specifies Nicolas Gaillard. The yields range from 40 to 60 q/ha and in winter barley, from 30 to 45 q/ha. The PS are not ...

Source: TerreNet