Drought drives 40,000 hay bales from Germany to Lower Austria

Drought has depleted hay supplies for many farmers in Lower Austria, prompting the delivery of around 40,000 bales from Germany, ORF reported. All the hay has been allocated, but demand remains unmet.

Leopold Gruber, a dairy farmer in Wilhelmsburg in the St. Pölten district, would normally have a full store of hay cut on his farm at this time of year. Instead, he has already had to use his winter supplies.

“At the beginning of June, there was still hope, but then the rain stopped and the heat became extreme. It was clear that I would have to buy in feed,” Gruber told ORF.

Michael Göschelbauer, also a dairy farmer, used contacts in northern and eastern Germany to organise around 1,300 truckloads of hay for sale to farmers. Raiffeisen Ware Austria provided the advance financing. A truckload costs an average of 4,500 euros.

The situation is different in parts of Germany, where large grassland areas and farmers leaving the industry have created hay supplies available for purchase. The operation began in Brandenburg and was later expanded to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.

Göschelbauer said transporting the hay over such a long distance was unavoidable because farmers and feed traders across Austria had confirmed that supplies were scarce. Even alternative sources normally used during shortages no longer had hay available.

The 40,000 bales secured for the operation have all been assigned. Outstanding orders will be delivered by Monday, but efforts to find more hay are continuing. Orders can still be registered at regional warehouses in case supplies become available again.

Andrea Wagner, vice-president of the Lower Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, said every form of assistance was currently important for farmers. The chamber is using webinars and information sessions to provide strategies and advice aimed at helping farmers achieve harvests this year.