After drought came flood

33 million euros in damage to this year’s harvest

Harvest yields have fluctuated greatly this year, as the weather has not made things easy for arable farmers. The damage runs into the millions.

(Bild: dpa/Philipp Schulze)

This year's extreme weather caused total losses for farmers in Upper Austria. Once again, the extreme drought caused the biggest problems. In addition, the green rice bug is spreading more and more in our province.

From catastrophic to record-breaking: this year's extreme weather conditions had a huge impact on crop yields and left Upper Austria divided. "The drought in the eastern part of the country from mid-July to the end of August led to an early harvest of soybeans and grain maize in the affected areas. Depending on the water retention capacity of the soil and the favorability of small-scale thunderstorms, the harvest results for both maize and soya varied greatly," explains Franz Waldenberger, President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Agriculture.

Drought as the number one cause of damage
"In the western part of the country, on the other hand, most of the autumn crops were not harvested until the end of September to mid-October, with predominantly good yields," says the expert. The drought was also the number one cause of damage in our province this year, accounting for 25 million euros. The remaining eight million euros of damage was caused by frost, high water, hail or flooding.

We must take measures to slow down climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

Franz Waldenberger, Präsident der Landwirtschaftskammer OÖ

In addition to weather phenomena, farmers also have to contend with new pests. For example, the green rice bug is spreading, particularly in the central Linz area. It primarily attacks legumes - such as soybeans - and stings fruits, seeds and leaves with its proboscis, causing great damage.