Heat and drought cut Tyrol farmers’ yields

Heat and drought have already caused millions in damage to agriculture this year, ORF reported. Recent rainfall has brought some relief, but many farms in Tyrol are facing a mixed annual balance.

Hot summers put dairy cows under strain, said farmer Georg Kapferer from Zirl. The animals lie down more, eat less and consequently produce less milk. Kapferer installed a sprinkler system in his cowshed in the spring to provide rapid cooling. He expects milk production to be around 10 percent lower this year.

Drought damages animal feed

The dry conditions have also affected feed supplies. Grass cover on meadows used to produce animal feed has been damaged in many places and will need to be restored through reseeding, Kapferer said. Farmers without sufficient reserves often have to buy feed at high prices.

Alpine pasture areas have also suffered drought damage, with less feed available this summer. In some cases, animals have already had to be brought back down because of shortages of water or food.

Smaller fruit and damaged vegetables

Fruit grower Simon Zimmermann in Fritzens invested in irrigation a long time ago, but the hot summer has still affected his crop. The fruit is smaller, and he expects fruit sizes to be five to six millimetres below normal. He estimates yield losses of between 10 and 25 percent, or around 100 tonnes of fruit.

Grapes, however, benefited from the sunshine and warmth.

Irrigation has also helped vegetable grower Walter Plank in Hall cope with the drought. It offers only limited protection against prolonged heat. Many plants are damaged by heat stress, while others suffer sunburn. Fruit vegetables such as peppers can then become unsellable.