Weeks of bad weather cause problems for arable farmers

The bad weather in recent weeks has caused a few problems for arable farmers in the canton, especially those who grow corn.
 
Raymund Gmünder, prorector at the Schluechthof Agricultural College in Cham, explained that it was not so much the amount which has been affected but the quality. Furthermore, ripe wheat which has not been able to be harvested has begun to develop an outgrowth, which means that it will not be able to be used for bread, but only as fodder. This means quite a loss financially as 100 kilogrammes of wheat for bread sells at CHF 52.00 whereas that for fodder sells at just CHF 36.00.
 
Gmünder further explained that crops of potatoes have also been affected by a fungal infection, made worse by the wet weather. To make matters worse the rain itself has prevented the spraying of any fungicide.
 
When the weather did turn hotter, the farmers were forced to harvest fields of barley, rapeseed and wheat all at the same time. "The barley harvest usually takes place at the end of June," said Gmünder, "It hasn't been as late as what it has been this year for years. On the other hand the wheat crops were ready earlier, probably on account of the early spring. Only the rapeseed harvest is taking place at its usual time." 
 
Fruit growers have not been so adversely affected by the wet weather. However, the heavy rains came just as the cherries grown for processing were being harvested, causing their skins to burst, which meant they could only be used for distilling, rather than drying or deep freezing.
 
As Louis Suter, the head of the Cantonal Fruit-Growing Advisory Centre, explained, the situation looks good with regard to apples and pears, which are 20 days ahead of the stage of ripeness they were at last year, and plums two weeks ahead. Indeed it looks as if Gravensteiner apples might even be ready for picking as early as the first week of August.