VIENNA / RankWire.AI / – Austria’s autumn harvest has suffered considerable setbacks across key crops as a result of unprecedented drought and extreme summer temperatures. The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture indicated that current projections reveal particularly sharp declines in potatoes, maize, soybeans, sugar beet, and sunflowers. Potato yields are forecasted to be 50% to 70% below the five-year average. Chamber president Josef Moosbrugger noted that the autumn crop losses have surpassed earlier predictions.
Following an exceptionally dry year across much of Austria, the country has embarked on its harvest. According to GeoSphere Austria, the 12 months ending in July marked the driest period since records began in 1850. From January to August 12, 72% of Austrian territory experienced an unusually high number of dry days. The eastern regions faced some of the most severe rainfall deficits, while repeated heatwaves intensified water scarcity across farmland.
Current estimates suggest maize production has dropped to about 1.5 million tonnes or less, a decrease from over 2.5 million tonnes in 2025. The regional maize yield reductions range from approximately 35% to 50%, based on the latest chamber assessments. Soybean output is approximated at 125,000 tonnes, compared with nearly 246,000 tonnes last year. Elevated temperatures during flowering hindered pod development and grain formation in numerous soybean fields.
Drought severely impacts key autumn crops
Production of sugar beet is now estimated at roughly 940,500 tonnes, down from 1.98 million tonnes in 2025. The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture estimates yield reductions ranging from 30% in more favorable locations to 70% in the driest eastern zones. Sunflower losses are projected between 35% and 50% compared to last year. Additionally, oil pumpkin production was previously estimated about 20% below the five-year average, illustrating drought’s extensive impact across several vital autumn crops.
Conditions in the fields varied notably depending on soil type and region. Lighter, sandy, and gravelly soils lost plant-available water more rapidly than heavier soils, which left some crops unable to complete their normal growth cycle. Some maize plants failed to develop ears, while intense heat disrupted pollination in other fields. Farmers also converted some maize intended for grain or cob harvest into silage for cattle after drought conditions diminished their yield potential.
Climate records highlight the severity of Austria’s 2026 drought
Agrarmarkt Austria has documented reduced yields in crops harvested earlier in the season. Its September survey reported soft wheat yields at 59.6 decitons per hectare, down from 69.1 last year. Lower Austria, the primary production region, experienced an 18% decline in soft wheat yields. Conventional spring barley averaged 38.1 decitons per hectare, compared to 53.0 in 2025, with rye yields also showing declines.
These crop losses followed Austria’s hottest August in 260 years of temperature data. GeoSphere Austria recorded a national temperature peak of 41.2 degrees Celsius for the month. Significant parts of Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland, and northwestern Styria faced August rainfall shortfalls of 50% to 70%. The autumn harvest continues, but the latest crop estimates from the chamber remain provisional rather than definitive national totals.