Big tractor ahead: Drivers have to be patient in places in the north-east. It’s harvest time, and the farmers have to bring big equipment. For angry pushers, they have a message.
Neubrandenburg (dpa/mv) – Tourists and residents in the north-east have to be prepared for more agricultural machinery on the roads and thus for disabilities because of the harvest. The state farmers’ association pointed this out in view of the grain harvest. The farmers first collect winter barley, then rye, wheat, rapeseed and other fruits from the fields. “This is the moment of truth for us farmers,” said association president Detlef Kurreck. “Now we are literally catching up on the fruits of our labor.”
If nice weather sets in after the rain, like last weekend, the time has to be used optimally and a lot of threshing has to be done, also because of the grain quality. “This means that farmers often drive large machines all day and late in the evening, at weekends or on public holidays.”
In the holiday season, this work certainly harbors potential for conflict. “When people go on vacation and first have to chug behind a slow tractor, that can cause trouble,” said Kurreck. But he asked for understanding for noise, dust and large vehicles. The farmers didn’t harvest “just for fun and frolic”: “We harvest food here.” It is important for the association to also explain farm work to those who no longer have a direct connection to it.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the grain harvest started earlier than usual because of the heat in June. Farmers, especially in the south and in the middle, have already threshed winter barley. At temperatures of more than 30 degrees, water-bearing parts of the plant dry out. There is a risk that ears will break off during thunderstorms or heavy rain and the plump grains will be lost. This means that the plant is “not ripe,” said Kurreck. Normal start of harvest in the Northeast is around July 5th to 10th.
Winter barley and wheat are typically grown on around 430,000 hectares in the Northeast. With 180,000 hectares, rapeseed is also important because its prices have also risen. In 2021, almost a fifth of the German rapeseed yield was harvested in MV.
