The weather conditions for 2023 were very variable. The winter was mild and the ground frost at the Mustiala measuring site was only eight centimetres at its deepest. After February, there was hardly any frost anymore. The strength of the snow cover varied with the shelters, being at its strongest at 32 cm at the beginning of the year. Of the autumn sowing, only the wheat wintered properly, the barley suffered somewhat, and the faba bean and rapeseed in the test areas were completely destroyed.
Spring sowing began with peas on 26.4., but due to the rains at the turn of the month, there was a two-week break in May work. Sowing was completed on 22.5. and budding was steady due to soil moisture. However, June was drier and warmer than usual, which halted growth. Due to drought, the first silage harvest was one-third of normal.
After June, very abundant rains began: 135 mm in July and 150 mm in August. This boosted the growth of silages in particular, but the expected yield of cereals remained low because the crop components of grain crops are formed already at the beginning of summer.
Harvesting began on 14.8. with threshing the peas sown first. After this, the weather during the harvesting season became unstable and threshing could always be carried out between rains. For this reason, the threshing humidity of the grains was sometimes very high. The threshing was concluded with the threshing of hemp test screens on 18.9. Yields were below average.
In the summer of ’23, there were 21 different experiments related to organic food and a total of 183 test plots. The size of the test plot ranged from a few square metres to one hectare. The plots examined, for example, various mixtures of cereals, legumes and grass seeds, as well as the frequency of sowing.
Yields by plants 2023
| Plant | ha | kg/ha | |
| Silage; apila + sinimailasnurmi | 82 | 4870 | kg ka |
| Barley; RGT Planet, Feedway | 16 | 2260 | kg |
| Wheat; Leijona | 4,5 | 2630 | kg |
| Winter wheat; Ceylon | 8 | 3110 | kg |
| Whole crop silage; rye wheat + green pea | 21 | 3390 | kg ka |
| Fava bean; Louhi | 10,5 | 1880 | kg |
| Pea; Astronaute | 7 | 2380 | kg |
| Mixed grain; Harmony + Leijona + Louhi | 8,5 | 1900 | kg |