Lot-et-Garonne: this summer, the impact of the drought was "extremely strong on large crops and forests"

Yields are unlikely to be met for corn, sorghum, and soybeans. The forest is suffering more and more each year. These phenomena can be explained by the accumulation of extreme climatic events.

It's almost becoming a chestnut tree... Not the tree, but this journalistic subject that comes up every year at the same time. Summer cereal yields are looking gloomy in the department. Corn, sorghum, and soybeans have once again been impacted by drought and lack of water . "It didn't rain from the beginning of June until mid-August." A trend compounded by several winter seasons, also marked by climatic hazards. Excess water this time.

"We're counting on 6.5 tonnes per hectare for the first corn ready to harvest. That doesn't cover the costs."

"The fall and winter of 2023-2024 were extremely rainy. The same goes for this 2024-2025 season, but to a lesser extent. As a result, there were many postponements of winter crops to summer crops. Crop rotation increased, particularly on plots where wheat could not be sown. Plots that generally cannot be irrigated (due, in particular, to their location, editor's note)," explains Sylvain Delzon, research director at INRAE ​​in ecophysiology.

This explains the low productivity anticipated for this season. Only sunflowers seem to be doing well. "Summer crops are endangered by the drought. It is essential to harness the resource to support the agriculture of tomorrow," agrees climatologist Jean-François Berthoumieu. "We're counting on 6.5 tons per hectare for the first corn crops ready to harvest. That doesn't cover the costs. We need to be between 9 and 10 tons."

Faced with these phenomena, which are likely to recur, Sylvain Delzon advocates crop diversification. This is something some farmers are already doing. "We must continue to grow corn, but perhaps to a lesser extent. It is essential to consider greater diversity; particularly legumes, which also allow us to reduce the use of inputs," explains Sylvain Delzon.

Unfortunately, legume markets are currently rare and unprofitable. "There are no locally structured sectors that buy these crops from farmers at remunerative prices. They are sold at a very low price... And farmers follow two logics: rotations to limit weeds and diseases; and investment in crops for which they will have a positive net margin." Corn and wheat remain the most profitable to date.

The various protein peas, for example, are "a species that I recommend. We don't fertilize. We don't use inputs. The only difficulty lies in selling them at a good price. There is no market for them. It doesn't appeal, despite a premium allocated by Europe, within the framework of the CAP: 130 euros per hectare for legumes."