Harvest report 2026 – weather impact

The decline in cereal production reflected several factors, notably dry conditions from June into July and significantly higher temperatures in May, June, and July. Although the drought peaked in August, most crops had already been harvested by then, so it was not the main cause of the lower yields.

Some areas of the country were more affected than others, with the midlands and the southeast, on light soils, suffering the most whereas the northeast, on the heavier soils, were less affected. In the northwest, particularly Donegal, there was no drought like conditions with adequate rainfall throughout the summer months. They did suffer from frequent rainfall events in August and September which made harvesting crops quite difficult.

Harvesting conditions, for the most part, were ideal with grain moisture levels well below 20% and most of the straw could be baled directly behind the combines with little or no handling. Extended periods of dry weather reduced workload and cost as little grain had to be dried.

Potato crops did, unfortunately, suffer quite badly in some instances, especially in the worst affected areas. Access to adequate water sources did help growers in those affected areas, to irrigate some crops and mitigate from the extreme heat and subsequent drought. When the rain did arrive crops did recover, however, with the increased growth came a subsequent reduction in dry matter levels and maturity, meaning that some crops were late harvested.

“The 2026 growing year will be remembered for a long time by tillage farmers for a variety of different reasons,” according to Michael Hennessy, Head of the Teagasc Crops Knowledge Transfer Department. “Record temperatures and an early harvest, did make work easier. However, the extreme weather conditions reduced the potential of most crops, which along with poor market conditions and prices, will have a significant impact on the income of many tillage farms,” he said.

When commenting on potatoes, Teagasc Potato Crop Specialist, Shay Phelan added: “having access to an adequate supply of water and adequate capacity are becoming key to producing crops, especially for the pre-pack and salad potato markets. Crops that did not have enough of either did suffer with both yield and quality issues.”

In the south, Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Tillage Crops Specialist commented that “while crops in the south were not as severely affected, crops like winter barley did not fulfil their potential, due to wet conditions over the winter months. Unfortunately, it seems that these types of growing seasons will become more frequent in the future, so tillage farmers will have to try to adapt to become more resilient. “

Visit https://teagasc.ie/publications/harvest-report-and-weather-impact-2026/ to see the Teagasc Harvest report and the Teagasc Weather Impact report.