Harvest 2020 gets off to a flying start

Johan Hoolmé in Skivarp is one of many farmers in Skåne that have started the harvest and he confirms a positive start with favourable weather conditions.

According to the Lantmännen harvest forecast, the 2020 harvest is expected to be slightly smaller than last year, but will still amount to 6.1 million tons of grain, oilseed crops and pulses. Recent reports to Lantmännen confirm the picture of a strong start to the harvest where a long dry and warm period has benefitted the farmers and Lantmännen.

“We have a harvest that is normal in size and of very fine quality. We are saving time and money by not needing to dry the grain and beforehand, we have had quit a bit of rain and have not needed to bother with a couple of watering sessions for our potatoes and onions,” says Hoolmé.


Johan Holmée is thankful for the wheather conditions. "This year’s harvest has been incredibly efficient".

Ahead of the 2020 harvest, Swedish farmers have chosen to sow more oats and less barley, partly as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. Oats, rye and wheat-based products (such as porridge oats, flour and pasta) are in big demand at food stores, while demand for barley has fallen.

For Johan Hoolmé in Skivarp, it has been a good year for arable farming. In addition to potatoes, beets and onions the farm also grows barley, wheat and rape. And the new Ideal combine harvester from Fendt makes very short work of the grain crops.

“This year’s harvest has been incredibly efficient. I cannot remember ever harvesting so much so quickly. I am actually pretty impressed by the combine harvester, this year’s upgrade has really made a difference, we are using less fuel now, for example,” says Hoolmé.

Don’t spare the horses is a saying that truly describes the situation in the annual harvest. It is dry, which enables many long harvesting days. In Skivarp, the harvest has been gathered by day and then the rapeseed has been sown by night, sleep can wait.



Long harvesting days followed by nights of rapeseed sowing. "Sleep can wait", says Johan.