Teet Kallakmaa, CEO and co-owner of Metstaguse Agro in Kuksema, Järva County, said this year's forage crops harvest has been a resounding success.

"Estonia's climate is favorable for grass growth," Kallakmaa said.

"Now it is clear that corn, as a forage crop, makes a great addition to grass silage and livestock fodder. So getting four harvests of alfalfa is entirely achievable, plus corn yields and quality have been quite good in recent years," Kallakmaa added.

Kallakmaa explained that the leaner years with poorer grass growth have taught farmers to get by in managing things wisely: By increasing the amount of land set aside to grassland, and focusing more on growing alfalfa and corn to ensure sufficient silage production.

Just down the road at Peetri Põld ja Piim, alfalfa, also called lucerne, was being harvested on Monday, and transported directly to the silage pit.

Heli Kõva, head of crop production at the farm, told "Aktuaalne kaamer" they are currently on their third cutting, and in some fields even a fourth harvest may come – something which is more the exception than the rule and can largely be attributed to alfalfa, which "practically guarantees a yield every year," she said.

280 hectares of corn also awaits harvesting in Peetri.

This weather-resistant forage crop has also been increasingly cultivated in recent years by Metstaguse Agro, with 200 hectares of land are dedicated to that crop this season.

Teet Kallakmaa said while the sowing in spring didn't go perfectly, the harvest may prove to be a health one anyway.

This was so to the extent that some uninvited guests in the form of wild boar have been foraging for corn and damaging the crops, Kõva said.

This summer has been unusually long but without the drought conditions seen in 2023, and has led to bumper harvests in various crops.

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