Magnificent grain field in the Oderspree district by Silva Wischeropp

About "Magnificent grain field in the Oderspree district"

by Silva Wischeropp

About the artwork

This photographic landscape was taken in late spring on 10 June 2017 in the midday hours with the Nikon. The image motif was taken in the Oder-Spree district in the Brandenburg region.

Germany is a grain country, so a nationwide supply can be provided on short transport routes: Farmers use more than half of the arable land to grow the various types of grain. The most important crop is common wheat. It grows on almost three million hectares - and thus on almost 50 percent of the cereal land. Durum wheat for pasta production plays only a minor role in German grain fields. This also applies to the wheat varieties spelt, einkorn and emmer, which are only of regional importance in agriculture. Rye - the other important bread cereal - is grown on just under ten percent of the cereal land. Barley, which is primarily used as animal feed and for brewing beer, is also agriculturally important with about 25 percent of the cultivated area. Grain maize, triticale (a cross between wheat and rye) and oats are grown on the remaining cereal fields.

The quantities and qualities of German bread grain are generally so good that the mills can almost completely cover themselves with raw materials from domestic fields. The import quota is less than five per cent on average over many years. Wheat is mainly grown in the eastern federal states and in the two largest federal states in terms of area, Bavaria and Lower Saxony.
The traditional leaders in rye cultivation are Brandenburg and Lower Saxony, where the climate and soils offer particularly good conditions for this type of grain.