Drought-hit farmers receive emergency hay deliveries

Drought-hit farmers in Upper Austria are receiving emergency supplies of hay after dry pastures caused feed shortages and threatened the livelihoods of livestock owners, ORF Oberösterreich reported.

Christian Friesenecker, a farmer in Neumarkt im Mühlkreis, ordered four truckloads of hay. He normally feeds his 40 cows with fresh grass, but two grass cuts failed this year. His feed reserves would otherwise have lasted only until November.

“It is definitely a ray of hope when something is available again,” Friesenecker said. “I did not expect this at all.” The hay was delivered within about two weeks and is now being used to feed his cows.

The state of Upper Austria has activated a network with agricultural organisations to secure additional feed. The supplies are intended to help farmers keep their animals, as selling livestock would also remove their ongoing income, said Agriculture Minister Michaela Langer-Weninger.

More than 260 truckloads have already been delivered. The hay is being purchased in Germany and Eastern Europe, including from the Leipzig and Magdeburg regions. Andreas Lidauer of Raiffeisen Ware Austria said the feed was available in regions where rainfall and harvests had been adequate, as well as in areas where livestock farming had been abandoned.

Farmers in Austria have also provided support. Arable farmers made grain maize available as silage maize, while 350 hectares of cropland were provided to grow additional green fodder, said Roman Braun of Maschinenring, an agricultural organisation.

The state says sufficient hay is still available, but prices are twice as high as in a normal year because of drought across half of Europe. Friesenecker is now reseeding his meadows with grass varieties that can better withstand dry conditions, as farmers prepare for similarly hot and dry summers in the future.