Exceptional drought forces farmers to irrigate cabbage seedlings early in eastern Finland

Exceptional drought in eastern Finland is forcing farmers to begin irrigating newly planted crops far earlier than usual, public broadcaster Yle reports. In Mäntyharju, cabbage seedlings are already being watered due to unusually dry conditions following a second consecutive winter with little snow.

Rainfall in April has been minimal, with Mikkeli recording just 4.3 millimetres—far below the average of 37 millimetres. The lack of spring meltwater and persistent dry weather has left fields parched, requiring farmers to take extra measures.

Tiina Kohonen, who runs Vierula farm in Mäntyharju with her husband Mikko, described the situation as “unbelievably labour-intensive.” The couple must manually remove protective frost covers from seedlings for irrigation, then re-cover them each night. “It’s all handwork,” Kohonen said.

The dry spell follows two winters with scant snowfall, reducing the usual spring meltwater that farmers rely on. Sari Peltonen, head of crop production development at Pro Agria, noted that plants need moisture to establish strong roots. “Normally, we’d manage with spring moisture and meltwater,” she said.

Climate change is altering farming conditions, with droughts becoming more frequent. Mikko Kohonen observed that this is the second year in a row they’ve been able to plough fields as early as March—a sign of shifting patterns.

While spring irrigation isn’t unheard of at Vierula farm, it has only been necessary a handful of times in the past decade. If rains don’t arrive, the Kohonens may soon need to irrigate newly sown potatoes as well. They are considering expanding their irrigation systems to reduce the need for moving equipment, though this season they aim to manage with existing tools.

Meteorologist Elias Paakkanen called the situation “exceptional, possibly even record-breaking.” April rainfall in Mikkeli and Kouvola’s Voikoski station measured just 4.3 and 5.5 millimetres, respectively—far below the 37-millimetre average. Some rain is forecast for late April, but totals are expected to remain around 10 millimetres, making it one of the driest Aprils on record.

For the Kohonens, ideal weather would bring warm, sunny days with nighttime showers. “That would be like steady irrigation,” Mikko Kohonen said.