Rainy June leaves South Estonian farmers in the lurch

An unusually rainy June has put farmers in Southern Estonia in a difficult position, as many fields have been damaged or completely ruined due to excessive moisture. Frequent rainfall has softened the ground, making it difficult to operate agricultural machinery.
By Monday, the water had receded from the potato and hemp fields at Ojaveere farm, located near Mõniste in Võru County, but the hemp crop — spanning a total of 100 hectares — has been completely lost due to the rain and cold weather.
"It was sown in the first days of June. After sowing, we had two or three days of dry weather, and then the rain started. There were a few more dry days, but looking at the field today — nothing is going to come up here," said Allan Põder, the owner of Ojaveere farm.
How much damage has this crop failure caused the farm?
"I wouldn't pin down an exact figure just yet, but it's definitely in the hundreds of thousands," Põder said.
Ivar Rosenberg, chairman of the Võru County Farmers' Union and young farmer at Roosu farm, said that while drought ruined crops in previous years, this year it's excessive moisture that has wiped out many farmers' summer crops.
"It means the crops have been suffocated — they're just sitting under water and rotting. And even if the water does drain off, the fields have been so compacted by the rain that nothing will grow anymore. Even if something was sown, it might not come up," said Rosenberg.
Which crops have suffered the most?
"So far, it seems that barley is the most sensitive to excessive moisture, especially on clay-heavy and low-lying soils. Among winter crops, rye is starting to go flat — it's beginning to lodge," Rosenberg said.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!
Editor: Marko Tooming, Marcus Turovski