Normandy maize yields fall by up to 70% after heat and drought
Normandy farmers began harvesting silage maize about a month early after extreme heat and prolonged drought halted crop development. Yields are down by as much as 70% on some farms, raising the risk of feed shortages, weaker milk output and herd reductions this winter.
Silage harvest starts a month early
Normandy’s maize harvest has begun exceptionally early after summer heat and drought accelerated maturity while preventing plants from reaching their normal size. France 3 Régions reports that farmers are cutting silage maize in August, around one month ahead of the usual schedule, with yield losses reaching 70% in some fields.
At Saint-Denis-de-Méré in Calvados, dairy farmer Max Vié started using his forage harvester on 14 August. Harvesting normally takes place around 20 September. Vié said he had never seen silage cutting begin in mid-August. The difference is also visible in crop height: healthy maize can reach 3 metres, while surviving plants in affected fields were no taller than 1.20 metres.
Farmers said crop development largely stopped after a period of intense heat from late May. Normandy received no rain from June as plants entered a growth stage when water and mineral availability was critical. Temperatures exceeded 41°C on some June days, according to France 3 Régions, while maize photosynthesis is impaired above 38°C. Many ears were scorched; those that remained were small and had limited nutritional value.
Feed shortage threatens dairy production
The immediate loss of biomass is only part of the problem. Poorly developed maize contains less starch, an essential energy source for maintaining cattle condition and milk production. The crop harvested for silage in summer normally feeds dairy cows through winter, so both the volume and quality of available feed have deteriorated.
Farmers interviewed by France 3 Régions expect the consequences to become acute in January or February, when some holdings could exhaust their forage stocks. Buying supplementary feed is one option, but producers expect strong demand across France and very limited forage availability to push prices higher. Even maize of average or poor quality could become expensive if sellers hold supplies back in anticipation of tighter conditions.
Dairy farms therefore face a choice between reducing milk production and losing revenue, or maintaining output by purchasing costly feed. Farms already operating with weak liquidity would be particularly exposed. Vié argued that dairy processors would need to raise their milk purchase prices so farmers could finance additional feed, although no such increase was reported.
Herd reductions and alternative crops
If feed becomes unaffordable or unavailable, some cattle farmers may send animals to slaughter. That would generate immediate cash but reduce future production capacity. A broader wave of culling could also affect local milk supply beyond the current winter, making the drought’s commercial impact longer-lasting than the harvest loss itself.
Farmers are considering fast-growing catch crops sown in late August or early September and harvested in October. These could replace part, but not all, of the missing maize. The plan depends on substantial rainfall because soils remain extremely dry. Longer-term adaptation may include changing sowing dates and varieties. Normandy’s Chamber of Agriculture is already testing sorghum, a cereal more resistant to heat, but farmers acknowledge that some years will still bring lower production.
