Overview
- A late‑spring drought followed by a June heatwave damaged the decisive grain‑filling phase for wheat and other cereals, cutting yield potential and quality in many locations.
- Harvest is already under way for winter barley and will move to winter wheat next; results are highly mixed with near‑average yields in some places and clear heat or drought loss in others.
- Recent rains arrived after many crops had passed grain filling and therefore have had little effect on final kernel size or protein accumulation, officials say.
- Quality problems are widespread, with an overall tendency toward lower protein in wheat and isolated local losses reported as high as about 50 percent on some fields.
- Farmers face growing economic pressure from high input costs and weak prices, and advisory bodies are urging quicker adoption of drought‑tolerant varieties, crop shifts, better insurance and other policy support while new pests add further risk.