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The Trutnoff Open Air music festival begins today at the Bojiště venue in Trutnov, commemorating the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth. Even as president, Havel continued to attend the festival after 1990, and the organisers declared him its chief. The festival programme will feature a variety of genres, from rock, underground and world music to alternative rock, the organisers said. The festival in Trutnov, in the foothills of the Krkonoše Mountains, will run until August 16.

“Everything will begin with an Open Air service on Thursday, August 13, at 6 p.m., dedicated to four days of peace and friendship, as well as to our chief Václav Havel, to whom this year’s gathering is dedicated,” the organisers said.

The programme also includes bands such as Lucie, The Plastic People of the Universe, Jasná Páka with David Koller and Dáda Albrecht, Pražský výběr, Ondřej Havelka and his Melody Makers orchestra, and the American band Gogol Bordello.

The shortage of feed caused by drought is forcing livestock farmers in the Czech Republic to sell cattle. Farmers and agricultural producers are struggling not only with a lack of hay and silage, but also with their rising prices. For some livestock operations, reducing herd sizes is therefore often the only option. In a press release issued today, the Association of Private Agriculture of the Czech Republic criticized the Ministry of Agriculture’s response as inadequate. The ministry, meanwhile, said today that it is assessing the situation and is prepared to take additional measures if necessary.

Hop growers estimate that this year will be one of the worst in recent years in terms of yields and quality. Compared with the long-term average of 6,000 tonnes, they estimate that the harvest could be up to 20 percent lower. In addition, the crop lacks sufficient alpha bitter acids, which determine its quality. The smaller harvest will not be reflected in the price of beer, because growers have long-term contracts with breweries and hops account for only a small part of the costs of producing the beverage.

Jiří Smetana, chairman of the board of the Czech Hop Growers Association, said this today at the traditional Hop Growers’ Day in Stekník near Žatec.

Firefighters are responding to a forest fire near Břeclav, where an explosion at a munitions factory Muna once scattered thousands of pieces of ammunition into the surrounding area. Pyrotechnicians are still removing it to this day. The fire is under control. Spokesperson Jaroslav Mikoška said that no ammunition had been reported. Firefighters declared the second level of the four possible levels of fire alert at the scene, meaning that multiple units are responding. There have been no injuries in the fire.

The Soviet army decided to destroy the Muna factory during the liberation, blowing it up. The explosion scattered ammunition across 750 hectares. In the 1990s, the state had 250 hectares cleared. Since 2015, pyrotechnicians have been searching the remaining area. They have recovered tens of thousands of pieces of small-caliber ammunition, artillery and hand grenades, machine-gun rounds, and detonators from the ground.