The extreme weather fluctuations of the past year have notably affected domestic open-field vegetable farming. Harvest results in the Dithmarschen district are also below average. "The wet and late spring, followed by the drought in June and finally the poor summer, has severely affected the growth of all crops. In particular, the wet autumn has very negatively impacted the harvest of our winter crops up to the early frost," summarizes Florian Jochims. The vegetable producer, based in Elpersbüttel, mainly grows sweed, celeriac, and beetroot.
"Due to the not exactly lush yields, we will have to end our swede season earlier than in previous years," Jochims continues. The farmer has been known as a swede specialist for many years and, after the end of the domestic season, between March and May, he also offers produce from Scotland. "How things will continue with the imported goods, I do not know at the moment. Currently, I assume that the imported goods will be rather expensive. Whether and how much of it can then be marketed will soon become apparent."
About a year ago, the new beetroot processing hall was put into operation. Thanks to the new premises, Jochims is now able to further process his own yields, i.e. peel, cook, vacuum and pack the goods. The marketing season 2023/2024 has already started positively, reports the vegetable producer. "We started the new season in mid-July and were able to produce goods continuously until Christmas. The sales are good and we now have production under control."
However, his own yields are not sufficient to supply the market comprehensively until the end of the season. Jochims: "Without additional purchases, we will unfortunately not be able to keep up with the next season. Therefore, we are still looking for additional raw materials, possibly also from neighboring countries. We will start the new season again in early July and then hope to be able to deliver all year round through more cultivation." In the first year, beetroot was grown on about 17 hectares, in the second year of cultivation the area was then approximately doubled. For the coming season, a further expansion of the area to about 40 hectares is planned.
Another challenge for vegetable farming is shown in inflation and the sharply increased costs, observes Jochims. "The increase in logistics costs affects us less, as we only deliver to wholesalers. Also, energy costs have somewhat normalized and were already priced in last year. However, I see labor costs as a bigger problem. Passing on the additional costs to the end consumer would not be the problem in my view: Because whether the goods at the POS cost two cents more, most will probably not notice in the end. But of course, the principle of supply and demand applies."
Despite the challenges regarding cultivation, Jochims still sees marketing potential for his crops. "I still see a future for open-field vegetables. For rutabagas and celery, there will probably be no significant increase in consumption, which is partly due to the previously mentioned problems in cultivation. However, I still see room for improvement with beetroot, although it is a trendy product which sometimes disappears quickly. I do not believe that this will be the case with beetroot, because fans will keep it on their shopping list, which is again a pleasing development."
Images: Florian Jochims.
For more information:
Florian Jochims
Jochims Rutabaga Trading GmbH & Co. KG
Hohe Str. 1
25704 Elpersbüttel
+49 4832 2287
[email protected]
www.kuestengemuese.de