Some areas of southern England, where much of the country’s food is grown, have had no significant rainfall since June. This put enormous pressure on this year’s harvest, but next year things could be even worse. The soil in much of the country is too dry to drill, and many crops for harvest later this year and next need to be drilled by the end of October to be viable. The animals are being fed on winter supplies of hay now because the grass has dried up and there is nothing for them to eat – raising fears they will have to be slaughtered in early winter when food runs out. The amount of water needed for crops this year has also increased due to a lack of rainfall, prompting farmers to empty reservoirs. Statistics from the UK’s Center for Ecology and Hydrology show that for rivers and reservoirs to reach normal levels by next year, months of above-average rainfall are needed. Martin Lines, the UK chairman of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, grows mainly winter cereals on his farm in Cambridgeshire. He said: “We are seeing the effects of the drought on our spring crops that we are harvesting at the moment and a reduced crop yield. Many vegetable farmers are running out of water and seeing crop potential lost. “We should be planting the next canola crops right now, but there is no moisture in the soil for them to germinate and grow. With the current crisis in Ukraine, this could mean further reductions in vegetable oil production next year. “We need government and supply chains to step up and take our changing climate and drought more seriously. We have underinvested in water management and storage for far too long. We see crops being thrown away because they haven’t grown to the right size due to the weather. We need all food crops to reach the table and supply chains and consumers need to change their demands for perfect-looking produce.” Some farmers have managed to protect themselves – so far – from the worst effects of the dry weather by adopting nature-friendly farming methods.
Soil treatment
Pete Thompson runs Brook Farm in Essex, one of the driest parts of the country. He grows vegetables, mainly brassicas and spring onions. After spending a few years trying to improve the soil structure to better hold moisture, he says he’s almost got things going. In recent decades farmers have grown crops in fields, then harvested, then plowed, then sown, then harvested and plowed again, which means that organic matter is removed from the soil, making it of poorer quality. Thompson has ensured that crop residues remain in the soil, decompose and improve their quality. Some areas have not had significant rainfall since June. Photo: Aventurier Patrick/ABACA/Rex/Shutterstock “You can see a noticeable difference in yield in the fields that have organic matter back in, which are cover crops and the way we grow our crops, we incorporate a lot of crop residue and try to continually build organic matter.” he said. “Where that hasn’t happened, you’ve seen that the crops haven’t done as well. Decaying plant matter helps soil structure.” However, he is still having trouble drilling next year’s crop. “We are now facing cost and scheduling issues as we have to irrigate before drilling as well as after drilling as the ground is so dry.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Jake Freestone, a regeneration farmer from Tewkesbury in the Cotswolds, told the Guardian he found a temperature difference of 10C between soil with crops and organic matter and that without. He says the methods he uses make the soil act like a “giant sponge”, holding water and requiring less watering.
Olive growing in Essex
Thompson grows olive trees on the slopes of his farm, hoping the tree’s roots will help stop soil erosion. They could also potentially be a sustainable crop as the climate warms. “We have an olive project, a long-term project to identify suitable varieties for the UK. We’ve been picking olives and this year’s crop looks pretty good – they thrive in hot, dry conditions. It’s looking pretty Mediterranean at the moment. It also works by planting trees on slopes where we’ve had soil erosion problems – they’ve reduced soil erosion and it helps with biodiversity.”
Shelter for sheep
Many of the farmers the Guardian spoke to have reaped benefits from the fences and trees they have planted. Animals face heat stress in the high temperatures, but farmers who have planted trees for biodiversity have found that they have provided shade for their animals. Jo Cartwright, who runs Swillington Organic Farm in Leeds, found her cattle could find relief from the heat under the trees. “We have plenty of natural shelter from trees where the stock spends a lot of time under hot weather,” he said. However, “the downside of this is the flies,” he added. Patricia Prabhu, a sheep farmer from Wales, said: “The sheep have been able to shelter from the heat under the overhanging branches of the trees and the hedges I have planted.”
Natural grass and landscaped areas
While traditional grasses have suffered in the heat due to thin soil and short plant stature, farmers who have diversified their landscapes to include ancient meadows and pastures and not overgrazed areas have found that they can do without supplemental nutrition. Cartwright said: “I reduced the stocking rates [the density of animals on the land] last year and although the grass dries up, [have] he has not yet had to feed any supplemental forage. Part of the farm is marshy or rough pasture that tolerates drought well.” Tim Jury, who runs Freshwinds at Pickham Farm in Hastings, uses mob grazing to keep his greens long and of high quality. This method is all about imitating nature, doing what bison and other large ruminants did when the land was wild. The land is grazed by a high density of animals for a short time and then given a long rest period. This allows the grass to be fertilized by its manure and grow, and results in many different plant heights, which is good for biodiversity. “Mob grazing protected the soil surface and allowed the calves to find cooler temperatures at ground level. The recently planted trees did not make it, but we will try again this winter,” he said.
