Persistent drought, record numbers of hot days per year, temperatures of well over 30 degrees – problems that almost all of Europe, including Austria, had to suffer from in the summer months. However, while the south and east of Austria in particular were confronted with the heat, Upper Austria can look back on sufficient precipitation. “Fortunately, the summer brought us enough rain. Our federal state was an island of the blessed. The harvest is now in and there are very good yields in the fall crops of corn, soybean, sugar beet and oil squash”says Franz Waldenberger, President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Agriculture.
Drying and fertilizing costs
However, with the persistent rainfall until the beginning of October, the harvesting conditions for Upper Austria’s farmers also became more difficult: the risk of soil compaction by the harvesters and thus long-term problems in arable farming as well as high drying costs were the result. “Soya can only be stored at a moisture content of 13 percent, and grain corn must also be dried. But the drying costs, which depend on the current gas price, are a major concern for farmers”, says Waldenberger. Because of the high energy costs, food prices are also rising. The money goes exclusively into production, farmers don’t earn more, says Waldenberger.
The price increases do not stop at fertilizers, says Helmut Feitzlmayr, head of the crop production department. The production of ammonia as an important fertilizer in agriculture costs between 2500 and 3000 euros per tonne in Europe. This means that the price is more than twice as high as on the international market. While Upper Austria’s farmers are currently saving when using fertilizers, Feitzlmayr warns of low harvest yields: “There is currently no relief in sight for fertilizers. If we continue to save, we will not be able to maintain the level of earnings in the long term.”
Satisfactory apple harvest
Because the yields were not only very satisfactory for corn, soybeans and sugar beet. The fruit-growing harvest, which traditionally ends on October 26, was also very productive in the region, especially for dessert apples. However, the harvest of plums and cider pears failed completely this year.
When asked whether Upper Austria could continue to be self-sufficient, Waldenberger replied: “Internationally, we are in a good position when it comes to wheat cultivation; fruit and vegetables already have to be imported. The most important thing is that more arable land must be available to ensure self-sufficiency.”
sugar beet
After a massive decline in sugar beet in recent years, it will be one of the winners in 2022. A yield of 100 tons per hectare could be brought in in Upper Austria on a cultivation area totaling 7300 hectares. The harvest volume in the federal state is thus 730,000 tons. The five-year average is 545,044 tons – an increase of 34 percent.
Soybean
In 2022, the soy cultivation areas in Upper Austria were expanded to 20,200 hectares, bringing the total harvest volume to 70,700 tons. The warm weather in summer in particular contributed to the good development, although the rain in September made the harvest more difficult. The soybeans often had to be threshed too wet, which increased the risk of the fungal disease diaporthe.
grain corn
Good production conditions prevailed for maize cultivation. As a subtropical plant, corn needs a lot of heat with an adequate water supply – conditions that were optimal in 2022. In a cultivation area of 51,100 hectares in Upper Austria, 613,200 tons of grain maize have already been harvested since the beginning of September. This is an increase of 16 percent compared to the past five years.
oil pumpkin
An average of 900 kilograms of oil pumpkins per hectare could be harvested in 2022, although the acreage of 1750 hectares has decreased slightly compared to the previous year (1990 hectares). Despite this, market performance was maintained at the level of the previous year. However, the oil pumpkin in particular suffers from the energy costs, since the pumpkin seeds have to be dried to a water content of eight percent.
Autumn harvest in figures
- The months of May to August were 1.8 degrees Celsius too warm compared to the past 30 years. Temperatures were only below the long-term average again in September.
- According to the US Department of Agriculture, 27 million tons of grain are missing this year to cover the global demand of 2783 million tons.
- 47 million euros in damage was caused in 2022 by drought and frost, hail, storms and floods in Upper Austria’s agriculture.
- 20,000 tons of dessert apples were harvested in 2022 – an example of a successful harvest year in fruit growing. The plum harvest failed this year.
Source: Nachrichten
