Belgian Harvests a Month Early as Climate Reshapes Farming

Harvests across Belgium are occurring up to a month earlier than they did 40 years ago, driven by rising temperatures and increasingly frequent heatwaves linked to climate change. The 2026 season has accelerated this trend dramatically, with farmers bringing in crops roughly 15 days ahead of the average of the last decade, according to RTBF.

A Half-Century of Change in the Fields

Daniel Delvaux, an agricultural contractor in Amay celebrating his 50th season in the fields, has witnessed the transformation firsthand. Standing in a wheat field before launching the combine harvesters, he described how the traditional calendar has been upended.

“It’s roughly 15 days compared to what we saw in the last ten years, if we want to average it out,” Delvaux told RTBF. “If we’re talking about 20, 30 or 40 years ago, then we’re practically three weeks to a month earlier.”

The shift is the direct result of a series of extreme weather events. A historic heatwave struck Belgium in late May 2026, with temperatures exceeding 35°C — unprecedented for that time of year, as reported by agricultural institutes Arvalis and Terres Inovia. This was followed by what may have been the hottest June on record, and a new heatwave that began in July, prompting the Royal Meteorological Institute (IRM) to place Belgium under a yellow alert.

Economic Pressures on the Farm

The accelerating harvest schedule compounds existing economic challenges for Belgian farmers. Agriculture covers 44% of Belgian territory, with approximately 35,000 farms, including 12,000 in Wallonia, as RTBF reported in a separate feature on climate adaptation.

Mathieu Comijn, a farmer, explained the difficult economics of cereal production. “Cereals are traded on the stock exchange and it’s a global price,” he said. “So there are areas in the world with lower production costs than us. For us, cereals are really a necessary evil for crop rotation. Otherwise, in terms of profitability, it’s not great.”

Once harvested, the wheat moves quickly to grain merchants. Guillaume Vanvinckenroye, administrator of the Dock-Moulin company in Oteppe, noted that his firm expects to receive approximately 60,000 tons of wheat this season. “This wheat will be marketed mainly in Belgium,” he explained. “Our biggest outlet is bioethanol for incorporation into biofuels. A large part of the wheat will also be destined for animal feed, and finally, a portion will be marketed for human consumption, such as for biscuits or bread-making.”

Fire Risk Adds to Farmer Stress

The early harvest has introduced a dangerous new element: extreme fire risk. The “rule of three 30s” — temperatures above 30°C, humidity below 30%, and wind over 30 km/h — creates conditions where the slightest spark can ignite a devastating field fire, according to RTL Info.

On July 11, a field fire broke out in Biesme-sous-Thuin during harvest operations. While firefighters quickly contained the blaze, the incident underscored the heightened vigilance required. Jean-Charles Taziot, a farmer in the Ramillies region, described the psychological toll. “The slightest smell, the slightest noise, you prick up your ears,” he told RTL Info. “You often stop to check the machine, it’s stressful.”

Not all crops suffer equally from the heat. RTL Info reported that beets, corn, and vineyards benefit from the warm conditions, while wheat and other cereals suffer from accelerated drying that can affect grain quality.

A Warming Future for Belgian Agriculture

Climatologists warn that the trend will intensify. Xavier Fettweis, a climatologist at the University of Liège, told RTBF that “agriculture and therefore food security are in danger.” In a Belgium experiencing a +3°C temperature increase, he explained, yields will generally decline. “Either we’ll have too much rain and the fields will be completely flooded, or not enough water and nothing will grow.”

The Walloon Agency for Air and Climate (AWAC) has warned that climate change will severely impact yield stability for all crops, calling for a “complete paradigm shift” toward agroecological transition. Some farmers are already adapting through regenerative agriculture practices — no-till farming, permanent soil cover, and crop diversification — which improve soil water retention and resilience.

What to Watch For

With harvest expected to be completed by around July 24, farmers will soon gather at the Libramont Fair, a major agricultural event in Wallonia. The conversations there are likely to focus on how Belgian agriculture can adapt to a future where the growing season starts earlier, the risks are higher, and the economic pressures continue to mount. The question is no longer whether climate change is reshaping farming — but how quickly farmers can adapt to a new, unpredictable normal.