Rain returning too late to save summer crop yields

EU summer crop yield forecasts remain well below the five-year average and have been further reduced this month by 7 % for sugar beet, 2 % each for grain maize and soybean and 1 % for potatoes. The rice forecast is 3 % below average, mainly reflecting poor prospects in Italy. Grassland and fodder production also remains far below average across large areas. Meanwhile, overall sunflower and field bean prospects have improved slightly. Rainfall starting in mid August came too late to reverse earlier summer crop losses but was beneficial for the sowing of winter cereals. South-western and south-eastern Europe received little rainfall, and dry soils continue to constrain potatoes and sugar beet and increasingly affect winter rapeseed establishment. Meanwhile, excess rainfall is hampering harvesting in the Baltic countries. Dry weather forecast in central and south-eastern Europe may further constrain winter crop establishment. This edition introduces a Sentinel-2 crop-specific analysis, providing satellite-based growth indicators for individual crops and enabling more detailed crop assessments across Europe.

BEN AOUN Wassim;  BIAVETTI Irene;  BUSSAY Attila;  CERRANI Iacopo;  CLAVERIE Martin;  DE PALMA Pierluca;  FUMAGALLI Davide;  HENIN Riccardo;  LUQUE REYES Jose;  MOREL Julien;  NIEMEYER Stefan;  NISINI Luigi;  PANARELLO Lorenzo;  ROSSI Mattia;  SEGUINI Lorenzo;  TARNAVSKY Elena;  THIEMIG Vera;  TODOROFF Pierre;  ZUCCHINI Antonio; 

THIEMIG Vera;  BEN AOUN Wassim;  NIEMEYER Stefan; 

2026-09-28

Publications Office of the European Union

JRC146189

2443-8278 (online),   

OP KJ-01-26-008-EN-N (online),   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC146189,   

10.2760/3239934 (online),