VIENNA / RankWire.AI / – Austria’s autumn harvest has suffered steep losses after prolonged drought and record summer heat damaged major crops. Current estimates show sharp declines in potatoes, maize, soybeans, sugar beet and sunflowers. The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture puts potato yields 50% to 70% below the five-year average. Chamber president Josef Moosbrugger said the autumn crop losses proved more severe than earlier expectations.
The harvest followed one of Austria’s driest periods since national weather records began. GeoSphere Austria said the 12 months through July were the driest since measurements started in 1850. Between January 1 and August 12, most of the country recorded an unusually high number of dry days. Eastern farming areas faced some of the largest rainfall deficits during critical stages of crop development.
Maize production could total about 1.5 million tonnes or less, compared with more than 2.5 million tonnes last year. Current regional estimates show maize yield losses ranging from about 35% to 50%. Soybean production stands near 125,000 tonnes in the latest estimates, down from almost 246,000 tonnes in 2025. Heat during flowering reduced pod formation and grain development across affected soybean fields.
Maize, soybeans and potatoes record heavy losses
Sugar beet output now stands near 940,500 tonnes in current estimates, compared with 1.98 million tonnes last year. Yield losses range from about 30% in stronger growing areas to 70% in the driest eastern districts. Sunflower losses reach roughly 35% to 50% compared with 2025. Oil pumpkin output also trails the five-year average by about 20%, extending the damage across several autumn crops.
Soil conditions played a major role in how individual fields performed during the dry season. Sandy and gravel soils lost available moisture faster than heavier soils, leaving crops exposed to prolonged water stress. Some maize fields produced few or no ears after severe heat affected pollination. Farmers converted some grain maize and cob maize fields into silage where drought had sharply reduced harvest potential.
Record heat deepens Austria’s agricultural losses
Agrarmarkt Austria has also reported weaker yields in crops harvested earlier in the season. Its September survey put conventional soft wheat yields at 59.6 decitons per hectare, down from 69.1 last year. Lower Austria recorded an 18% decline in soft wheat yields from 2025 levels. Conventional spring barley averaged 38.1 decitons per hectare, while the 2025 figure reached 53.0 decitons.
Austria also recorded its hottest August in 260 years of temperature measurements. GeoSphere Austria registered a national temperature record of 41.2 degrees Celsius during the month. Large parts of Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland and northwestern Styria saw August rainfall deficits of 50% to 70%. The autumn harvest remains in progress, so the latest crop figures represent current estimates rather than final nationwide totals.