As of 20 September 2026, a severe drought continues to affect grass growth in the hexagon, the common name for France. This information comes from a pasture monitoring dashboard published by Agreste, a French government agency responsible for agricultural statistics, on 29 September. The dashboard highlights that the current growth levels of grass in permanent pastures are 40 percent below the average for the reference period of 1989-2018. Despite some rain at the end of August, the soil remains extremely dry, and this has prevented any significant resumption of grass growth. The situation has worsened over the past month, with the cumulative growth of permanent pastures as of 10 September already 39 percent below the same period in the reference years. By 20 September, only 53 percent of the annual reference production had been achieved, compared to 88 percent at the same time in the reference period. Agreste reported that only the Mediterranean coastline and the northern part of the Alps have seen "normal or even excessive" growth. The rest of the country is experiencing a widespread grass growth deficit, caused by an unprecedented drought that has lasted several months. The drought has had a significant impact on agricultural production across most of France. According to Agreste, only the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Paca) region maintains a production level considered "normal," with an index between 90 and 110. All other regions have a "strongly deficient" production, with an index below 75. This means that in three-quarters of the pastures, the grass has not grown for more than three months, highlighting the severity of the situation. The ongoing drought has raised concerns about the long-term effects on agriculture and livestock in France. With the majority of the country experiencing a significant drop in grass growth, farmers are facing challenges in maintaining their usual production levels. Agreste continues to monitor the situation closely, providing updates through its dashboard to help stakeholders understand the evolving conditions and their potential impacts on the agricultural sector.