Crop status:

Winter wheat: generally good and on many fields even with a grade of very fine.

Winter rapeseed: most of Oravita is good, except for some small wet spots. A lot of the first years’ fields in Videle have been hit hard by water spots, but the undamaged fields are very good. All the 480 HA of winter rapeseed in Mizil is very fine.

Winter barley: only 173 HA were sown in Oravita and this field is fine.

Spring crops: the soil has been very wet this spring, so it has once again been difficult to make a proper seedbed for spring crops. There are still large clods of soil in some fields even after 2-3 soil treatments before sowing. However, there are indications that the cultivator efforts, surface drainage and liming has had a positive effect on comparable land.

Maize: was sown in the second half of April and sowing was completed on 24 and 26 April. The maize sprouted nicely, but in the fields where it has been most difficult to make a seedbed, germination seems somewhat uneven.

Sunflower: the sowing of 550 HA in Oravita was completed at the end of April and it has just now sprouted with 2 leaves.

Soya: sowing was completed 8 – 14 May and it succeeded in planting the seeds in moist soil.

CROP COMPOSITION 2014 – 25:

Maize 18%    Sunflower 6%         Rapeseed 16.7%

Wheat 45.6%     Winter barley 2%     Soya 9.6%    Other 2%

Maize field in Mizil on 11 May – 18 days after sowing. It is difficult to make a decent seedbed, but germination has succeeded quite well

“Average” rapeseed field in Oravita on 12 May

Wheat field in Oravita on 12 May

Wheat field in Oravita on 12 May – this field is the latest field sowed (sown in mid-November)

Maize field in Videle on May 13 – this field was sown on 18 April, and as you can see, not in a particularly suitable seedbed, but the result is quite acceptable

Yours sincerely,

Richardt Duus, CEO