Due to the persistent heat and drought, German farmers had a significantly worse grain harvest this summer than last year. The German Farmers' Association (DBV) assumes 41.9 million tons in its 2026 harvest balance, which is 7 percent less than in the previous year. The heat wave in the second half of June, when the grains usually gain in size and weight, particularly affected the grain.
How the harvest turns out is also a question of location. »This year's harvest is characterized by enormous regional differences, with a strong north-south divide. In southern and western Germany in particular, a lack of rainfall has led to weak yields and even failed harvests for individual crops," said farmers' president Joachim Rukwied about this year's harvest.
Rapeseed was hit particularly hard with a drop in yield of 20 percent, of which only 3.3 million tons were harvested. In addition to heat and drought, pests such as the flea beetle and the cabbage midge caused a decline. The wheat harvest, at just under 21 million tonnes, is around seven percent below the previous year. As in the previous year, 9.5 million tonnes of barley were harvested, but only because it was grown over a larger area. The yield per hectare fell by four percent.
Farmer President: Stubble fields remain standing for cost reasons
"Where the drought damage is severe, and this is particularly the case in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, for example in the case of corn, the rain will no longer help," said Rukwied before the presentation of the harvest balance on the RTL and n-tv program " Frühstart ". The harvest estimate is based on reports from the state farmers' associations or on long-term averages.
Things are also looking bleak for autumn crops such as potatoes, soya, beets and vegetables, most of which have not yet been harvested. When it comes to potatoes, for example, average yields can hardly be expected, even on irrigated areas. Sugar beet yields can be expected to be 25 percent lower in some regions. However, rain could still help with autumn crops; grassland also benefits from it as long as it is not yet brown. Then the rain would “most likely be too late.”
The quantities and areas cultivated for fruit and vegetables are declining. Rukwied blamed this primarily on the recent sharp increase in the minimum wage in agriculture. We are therefore becoming more and more dependent on imports, complained the farmers' president when presenting the harvest results - and again demanded minimum wage exceptions for his industry, for example for seasonal workers.
The overall situation in many companies is tense, in many places it is simply “toxic,” said Rukwied. He referred to numerous stubble fields that some farmers are currently no longer cultivating simply for cost reasons. »Our companies currently need seeds and diesel, later fertilizers and pesticides. Without the necessary liquidity, they will not be able to finance the next harvest,” he said.
The farmers' president demanded that politicians give the affected farmers a hand and called for an immediate package. For example, aid for fertilizers should be increased, and 80 percent of direct payments should be brought forward and paid out in October, he demanded. Taxes on diesel would have to be further reduced. In the long term, says Rukwied, a tax-free risk adjustment reserve could also help smooth out losses over the years.
Politicians must now deliver quickly, said Rukwied. »Security of supply is just as important as defense capability.«
Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer had announced that he would not leave the affected companies alone. The CSU politician only wants to decide whether and what aid can flow once the official data on this year's harvest is available. This should be the case at the end of the month.
