The estimates of the grassland production provide reliable information about good and bad harvest years over time and allow conclusions to be drawn about the intensity of grassland use. The more intensive the use is - that is, the higher the frequency of cutting meadows and the higher the fertilization respectively the animal stocking rate on grassland - the higher the yields will be. Weather conditions also have a significant impact on yields and production.
According to the final harvest estimate, the harvest volumes of permanent grassland (pastures and meadows together) have increased by 10.2% compared to 2022: 28.8 million tons of dry matter were estimated for 2023, compared to 26.1 million tons for 2022. The distribution of pasture and meadow harvest volumes changed only slightly from 2022 to 2023: In 2023, the ratio was 53% (pastures) to 47% (meadows). In 2022, the ratio was 55% (pastures) to 45% (meadows). In 2023, crop reporters estimated 15.3 million tons of dry matter for pastures and 13.5 million tons for meadows.
Due to far-reaching methodological changes in the harvest estimation of permanent pasture, only the years 2010 to 2023 are comparable without restrictions.