The old saying“rain makes grain”may hold true in many instances; however, this year’s excessive precipitation amounts early in the growing season have caused extensive crop loss in some areas of the Upper Midwest.
As the industry shifts its focus to the new crop, growing conditions for the next apple season in Poland were initially favourable, with fruit maturation occurring three weeks earlier than usual. However, a cold snap between April 20-23 significantly affected the orchards.
A southwestern Wisconsin farmer says when it comes to moisture, 2023 and 2024 are opposite extremes.Mike Berget says, “This time last year, we were wondering if we were even going to have a crop, and now this year, we’re wondering if it’s going to float away.”
In 2023, Italy, renowned for its rich agricultural heritage, faced a severe blow as extreme weather conditions wreaked havoc on its wine production. According to a recent report by the national statistics bureau, the country witnessed a 17% decline in wine production, marking one of the most significant drops in recent history.
Heavy rains are expected to continue in parts of central and southern China this week, battering regions where high precipitation has already led to loss of life and flood damage to crops.
For western Iowa farmers, growing-season concerns have morphed from drought in April to flooding in late June.Torrential rains dumped up to 15 inches of rain in two days in some parts of northwestern Iowa this weekend.
Dry, hot conditions in North Carolina are taking a huge toll on farmers, and everyone's wallet.Big cash crops that farmers rely upon for their own families are withering under a long heat spell.
In Turkey's Muğla, efforts by the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality have targeted the Mediterranean fruit fly, a threat to the region's citrus exports. Utilizing biotechnological systems, the municipality has initiated trapping operations over 35,000 decares in the Köyceğiz district, home to a significant portion of citrus cultivation.
Production forecasts for tangerines/mandarins, oranges, lemons, and orange juice remain unchanged from the December 20, 2023 Annual Citrus Report. According to the citrus industry, two consecutive seasons of low production are due to higher temperatures and drought.
St John's Day traditionally marks the end of the asparagus season. This year too, it will be the finale for the vast majority of growers and traders, but a difficult season has also made some decide to give up earlier.
"The Dumara watermelon campaign started well then, from May 25th onward, the high temperatures led to early ripening causing a surplus on the market, which almost halted also because summer is late in Europe, meaning that demand is slower," reports Alberto Nocera, president of Agrieuropa from Terracina (Latina).
More than 2,500 dunams (2.5 square-kilometers) of cropland have been destroyed by burning this season in Erbil governorate alone and officials are warning residents and farmers to take precautions to protect their harvests in the Kurdistan Region.
Burhanpur district administration, in a bid to provide relief to banana farmers on their suffering crop loss due to heavy rain, windstorm and hail reported in May, has generated a demand of Rs 65 crore to distribute as compensation.
Farmer Bao Mingchen gestured to a dry pipe where water typically irrigates a patch of crops, the soil now cracked under a drought hitting China’s vast agricultural hinterland.“Everything is dry,” he said as he strode along the perimeter of a rice paddy near his home in Hudian, a humble township in the central Chinese province of Henan.
Crops such as watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini were the most affected, according to interviews conducted byEnab Baladiwith several farmers.Farmer Loay al-Hariri lost approximately 250 dunums of watermelon produce, as the heat caused the drying of the vegetative mass (the green part above the soil) and exposed the fruits to sun damage.
Bananas are one of the world’s most widely available fresh fruits. They are particularly popular with children and are a great source of potassium. They come in a peel that serves as their own counter-top storable, easy to open, “biodegradable packaging.”