Half the Corn

Corn leaves are curling. Their tips are turning brown. The plants are developing far more slowly than usual. In the fields near Roodt in the commune of Ell, a farmer named Christian Hahn can see the drought in the shape of his crops. "We have had roughly half the normal amount of rainfall over the past two months", he said. "So far, we have had almost no rain at all in July."[1]

The drought has arrived earlier than in previous years, and at a particularly sensitive stage in the corn-growing cycle. The plants should now be developing their tassels, which later pollinate the ears. If growth is stunted by a lack of water, far fewer kernels may form. "Unless something changes soon, plants could start dying", Hahn warned. "It is still too early to give definitive figures, but the losses could be even greater than for winter crops."[1]

25-30% already lost

Winter crops such as wheat and barley were harvested significantly earlier than usual this year. Hahn said that was not a good sign. "The grain was forced to dry out." Kernels remain smaller and lose quality. Initial estimates point to losses of between 25% and 30% for winter crops. The situation for corn could prove even worse.[1]

A few litres of rainfall will no longer make much difference. "If we get five litres per square metre now, that will achieve almost nothing", Hahn said. "What we really need is a sustained period of rain with substantial amounts." Forecasters have repeatedly predicted rainfall in recent days, but it has continually been pushed back. For farmers, time is increasingly running out.[1]

Winter feed

The drought is not only affecting harvests. Corn is one of the most important sources of winter feed for cattle. "If we really end up with only half the corn crop, then we will also have only half the feed for the winter", Hahn warned. That could force some farmers to sell or slaughter beef cattle before winter because they can no longer guarantee sufficient feed supplies. Milk production could also suffer. Dairy cows produce less milk during periods of high temperatures, while prices for slaughter cattle have come under pressure in recent weeks.[1]

The cascade reaches food

The heatwave cascade has now reached the food supply. It started with discomfort, moved through infrastructure, touched the ecosystem, arrived at the tap, and has now entered the fields. Six days of yellow alert. Record-low water levels. Orange alerts in multiple municipalities. A ban on river extraction. Ten fires overnight. And now, a farmer in Ell describing corn leaves curling and calculating whether he will have enough feed for his cattle through the winter.[1]

Neighbouring countries are facing similar problems. The drought is not Luxembourg's alone. But Luxembourg's farmers, like the country's infrastructure, were not built for this. The EKABE dairy exit last month, which saw 68 farmers leave the sector, was already a sign of pressure on the agricultural sector. A winter with half the feed would be a sign of something else.[1]