The 2026 grain harvest in Austria is expected to plummet by almost 15 percent due to drought.

Dryness, heat, and drought have characterized the 2025/26 arable farming season. According to current estimates, the Austrian grain harvest (excluding maize) will reach only around 2.66 million tons this year. This represents a decrease of 14.6 percent compared to the previous year. At the same time, the grain acreage has fallen below 500,000 hectares for the first time.

“Part of the yield is certainly due to the professionalism of the arable farmers and the modern varieties,” emphasized Josef Moosbrugger, President of the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, during a press trip to Deutschkreutz together with Nikolaus Berlakovich, President of the Burgenland Chamber of Agriculture and COPA Vice President.

The losses are particularly severe in eastern Austria. While the drought and heat are severely impacting grain crops, corn is currently coping better with the conditions. The grain acreage has decreased by a further 0.7 percent compared to the previous low point in 2025.

Drought has been ongoing since winter.

The winter was exceptionally dry. Some rainfall in February was followed by a long dry spell in March and April. Although May brought temporary relief, extreme heat exacerbated the situation again in June.

The prolonged dry spells have significantly hampered the tillering of cereal crops. Many crops are suffering from the high temperatures, particularly during the crucial grain-filling phase. According to Moosbrugger, yield expectations are currently deteriorating almost daily. Furthermore, significant regional variations in yield and quality are anticipated.

Economic factors influence cultivation decisions

Economic conditions have also influenced crop planning. Low producer prices coupled with high production costs make profitable production difficult for many farms.

The most important arable crops remain maize, wheat, barley, soybeans, and triticale. At the same time, the cultivation of some crops has been significantly expanded:

• Sunflowers: +19.7%
• Rye: +10.1%
• Oil pumpkin: +9.5%
• Rapeseed: +5.7%
• Winter barley: +3.5%

However, the following groups declined significantly:

• Starch potatoes: −50.5%
• Field peas: -21.2%
• Total potatoes: -18.5%
• Broad beans: -12.2%
• Spring barley: -12.1%
• Oats: -9.3%
• Sugar beets: −8.3%

Significant differences in yield and quality

Significantly lower yields are expected, especially in eastern Austria. Across Austria, winter wheat yields are projected to be up to 20 percent lower per hectare, with even lower figures expected in some parts of Burgenland.

According to Nikolaus Berlakovich, even small-scale differences are evident. Light, sandy soils were less able to retain water, resulting in thin stands with few ears in many areas. Additionally, quality losses are threatened by insufficiently filled grains and so-called shriveled grains.

Another problem arises when new ears of grain develop after rainfall, resulting in different stages of ripening within a single crop. Soils with a higher clay and loam content, however, were able to mitigate the drought somewhat better.

Historically low grain acreage

In addition to extreme weather conditions, farms are particularly burdened by low producer prices and high costs for fertilizer, energy and fuel.
Moosbrugger points out that the good global harvest of 2025 has put additional pressure on prices. This makes it increasingly difficult for many farms to produce profitably and make necessary investments. While measures like the agricultural diesel subsidy for 2026 and 2027 are important, they can only offset a portion of the increased costs. The historically low grain acreage should therefore give us pause for thought.

EU should lower fertilizer prices

According to the Chamber of Agriculture, high fertilizer prices remain a major problem. Moosbrugger believes that the measures announced so far by the EU Commission are insufficient.

Criticism is leveled particularly at the fact that European farmers pay the highest fertilizer prices internationally and are further burdened by the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Calls are therefore made for further relief measures and more effective import controls to ensure fair competition and high EU quality standards.

CAP and plant protection in focus

Nikolaus Berlakovich also calls for a strong and adequately funded Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with inflation adjustments, as well as practical and incentive-based environmental measures. He firmly rejects cuts to agri-environmental programs.
Equally necessary are genuine simplifications in the administrative sector and greater planning certainty for businesses.

Berlakovich sees an urgent need for action in plant protection. The continuous withdrawal of approved active ingredients and the lack of new approvals are increasing the pressure on agriculture. At the same time, heat-loving pests and diseases are spreading increasingly as a result of climate change. Therefore, more innovation-friendly approval processes and a better supply of effective plant protection products are being demanded.