VIENNA / RankWire.AI / – Austria’s autumn harvest has suffered significant setbacks, with major crops experiencing substantial declines due to a record drought and extreme summer temperatures. The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture noted that current projections indicate particularly steep drops in potatoes, maize, soybeans, sugar beet, and sunflowers. Potato yields are projected to be 50% to 70% below the five-year average. Chamber president Josef Moosbrugger emphasized that the autumn crop losses have exceeded earlier forecasts.
The country entered this harvest season after experiencing an exceptionally dry year across much of its territory. According to GeoSphere Austria, the 12 months ending in July were the driest on record since 1850. From January through August 12, 72% of Austria’s land area endured an unusually high number of dry days. Eastern regions reported some of the most severe rainfall shortages, while repeated heatwaves intensified water stress across farmland.
Current estimates place maize production at approximately 1.5 million tonnes or less, a sharp decline from over 2.5 million tonnes in 2025. Regional maize yields are estimated to have fallen between about 35% and 50%, according to the chamber. Soybean output is now estimated near 125,000 tonnes, compared to nearly 246,000 tonnes last year. Drought conditions during flowering reduced pod development and limited grain formation in many soybean fields.
Drought Significantly Reduces Key Autumn Crops
The production of sugar beet is now estimated at roughly 940,500 tonnes, down from 1.98 million tonnes in 2025. The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture attributes yield losses ranging from 30% in better conditions to 70% in the driest eastern zones. Sunflower harvests are expected to be 35% to 50% lower than last year. Earlier assessments also indicated that oil pumpkin production was about 20% below the five-year average, further illustrating the drought’s impact on several vital autumn crops.
Conditions on fields varied significantly depending on soil type and region. Lighter soils, such as sandy and gravelly ones, lost plant-available water sooner than heavier soils, causing some crops to fail in completing normal development. In some cases, maize plants did not form ears, while extreme heat disrupted pollination in others. Additionally, farmers have converted some maize fields initially intended for grain or cob harvest into silage for cattle, as drought conditions reduced their harvest potential.
Climate Records Highlight the Severity of the 2026 Drought
Agrarmarkt Austria also reports lower yields in crops harvested earlier during the season. Its September survey shows that conventional 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 yields averaged 38.1 decitons per hectare, compared with 53.0 in 2025, and rye yields also declined.
These crop losses follow Austria’s hottest August in 260 years of temperature records. GeoSphere Austria recorded a national temperature peak of 41.2 degrees Celsius during that month. Large sections of Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland, and northwestern Styria experienced rainfall deficits of 50% to 70% in August. As the autumn harvest continues, the chamber’s latest crop data remains provisional, representing estimates rather than definitive national totals.