Drought cuts Upper Austria’s maize harvest nearly in half

Upper Austria’s grain maize harvest has fallen to 324,000 tonnes from 639,000 tonnes last year after a dry spring and hot summer, ORF reported, citing the Upper Austrian Chamber of Agriculture. The chamber also expects soybean yields to drop by about 35 percent, with vegetable, fruit and hop growers also facing significant losses.

The spring of 2026 was Austria’s driest since records began 169 years ago, according to the chamber. Upper Austria received an average of 37 percent less rainfall than usual. Chamber president Franz Waldenberger called it the “most difficult arable farming year in history” at a news conference in Linz on Wednesday.

The average grain maize yield fell from 12.4 to 7.8 tonnes per hectare. The chamber also reported an aflatoxin problem for the first time this year. The toxin is produced by mould and develops in hot, dry conditions. Grassland farming was particularly affected, forcing farms to import animal feed.

Soybean yields are expected to average 2.5 tonnes per hectare. The sugar beet harvest is forecast to be about a quarter below last year’s level. Austria may be unable to meet its sugar needs entirely for the first time since the postwar period, with domestic supply covering 74 percent of demand.

Drought also reduced water levels. By August 10, 13 of 53 groundwater monitoring stations had recorded historic lows, according to the state’s hydrological service. Record low water levels were also recorded at 13 river and stream measuring stations, including on the Traun at Bad Ischl and Wels-Lichtenegg, the Aist near Schwertberg and the Naarn near Haid. The largest deviations from long-term low-water levels reached 95 percent.

Vegetable harvest losses are expected to range from 30 to 80 percent, depending on the crop, with carrots and beetroot particularly affected. Fruit growers expect losses of up to 50 percent for pome fruit. The Mühlviertel Hop Cooperative forecasts a hop harvest about 30 percent below the long-term average.