Harvest in Saxony-Anhalt Under Pressure: Farmers' Association Warns of Quality Losses and Liquidity Bottlenecks

Particularly affected, according to the data, are the southern and eastern regions of the state, which lie in the rain shadow of the Harz mountains. A heatwave in the second half of June additionally impaired crop development. In the northern parts of the state, the outlook is somewhat more stable, but overall the situation remains tense.

Regional Differences: South More Severely Affected

At the Agrar Burgscheidungen farm in Laucha an der Unstrut, preparations are underway for the harvest to start in mid-July. Managing director Katrin Beberhold explained that the recent rainfall had only superficially moistened the soil: "Wir hatten schon ein bisschen mehr Niederschläge, und es hat auch geregnet. Aber das ist immer nur oberflächlich. Der Weizen hat Wurzeln, die tief greifen müssen, um Wasser und Nährstoffe zu holen. Und da ist er nach wie vor – bedingt durch die Trockenheit – nicht in der Lage.

Despite isolated rainfall events, the topsoil in large parts of the state has already dried out again. Crops such as maize, sugar beets, potatoes, and sunflowers are urgently dependent on further rainfall to secure yield and quality.

Quality and Revenue Under Pressure

In addition to quantity, farmers are particularly concerned about the quality of the harvested grain. Beberhold pointed out that marketing is determined not only by tonnage but also by quality: "Wir werden nicht nur nach Masse bezahlt, also nach Tonne, sondern auch nach Qualität. Und die sehe ich dieses Jahr wieder in großer Gefahr, dass wir das gar nicht schaffen.

Even an average or regionally good harvest will not be sufficient to ease the economic situation of farms, according to the association. Many farms can currently barely predict whether the harvest will be economically viable.

Liquidity Bottlenecks and Economic Risks

More and more farms are slipping into liquidity bottlenecks, as the association emphasized. "Viele Betriebe geraten zunehmend in Liquiditätsengpässe. Das nimmt Ausmaße an, die so bislang nur vereinzelt beobachtet wurden."

The Landesbauernverband is therefore calling for political framework conditions that secure the existence of farms even in crisis years. These include reliable risk safeguards as well as answers to persistently high production costs and the volatility of producer markets. The stocktaking originally published on June 3 was produced with the involvement of Tatiana Gropius, André Plaul, Marius Rudolph, and other MDR reporters, and with the inclusion of dpa material.

With a view to the coming weeks, the situation remains uncertain. Should the drought persist, noticeable losses are to be expected in the particularly affected regions—both for grain and for root crops and oilseeds. Farmers are hoping for substantial rainfall soon to avert the worst.