VIENNA / RankWire.AI / – Austria’s harvest season has seen significant declines in key crops, with current estimates pointing to notable drops caused by a historic drought and extreme summer temperatures. The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture reported that potatoes, maize, soybeans, sugar beet, and sunflowers are most affected, with potato yields projected to be 50% to 70% below the five-year average. Chamber president Josef Moosbrugger noted that the losses this autumn have surpassed previous expectations.
Following an exceptionally dry year across much of Austria, the country has entered harvest with alarming conditions. According to GeoSphere Austria, the 12 months leading up to July marked the driest period since records began in 1850. From January through August 12, 72% of Austria’s land experienced an unusually high number of dry days. Regions in the east reported some of the most severe rainfall shortages, while recurrent heatwaves increased water stress across agricultural land.
Maize production is now estimated at approximately 1.5 million tonnes or less, a steep decline from over 2.5 million tonnes in 2025. Estimates indicate regional maize yields have fallen between about 35% and 50%. Soybean output is believed to be around 125,000 tonnes, compared to nearly 246,000 tonnes last year. Heat stress during flowering stages reduced pod development and grain formation in many soybean fields.
Drought Significantly Reduces Major Crops in Austria’s Autumn Harvest
Production of sugar beet is now projected at roughly 940,500 tonnes, down from 1.98 million tonnes in 2025. The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture estimates yield losses to range from 30% in better-situated areas to 70% in the driest eastern zones. Sunflower yields are also expected to decrease by 35% to 50% from last year. Earlier forecasts indicated that oil pumpkin production was about 20% below the five-year average, further illustrating the drought’s impact across several key autumn crops.
Conditions in fields varied sharply depending on soil type and region. Light, sandy, and gravel soils lost plant-available water earlier than heavier soils, leading to some crops failing to develop normally. Several maize plants failed to form ears, while excessive heat disrupted pollination in other fields. Farmers also turned some maize fields, initially intended for grain or cob harvest, into silage for cattle after drought conditions lowered their harvest potential.
Extreme Weather Highlights the Severity of the 2026 Drought
Agrarmarkt Austria has also observed reduced yields in crops harvested earlier in the season. A September survey indicated that soft wheat yields averaged 59.6 decitons per hectare, down from 69.1 last year. The main production region, Lower Austria, experienced an 18% decrease in soft wheat yields. Spring barley averaged 38.1 decitons per hectare compared to 53.0 in 2025, with rye yields also declining.
These crop losses followed Austria’s hottest August in 260 years of temperature records, with GeoSphere Austria recording a national temperature peak of 41.2 degrees Celsius during that month. Significant portions of Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland, and northwestern Styria recorded August rainfall deficits of 50% to 70%. The autumn harvest continues, but the latest crop figures from the chamber remain preliminary estimates rather than definitive national totals.