Farmers’ fears over prolonged dry spell
WESTCOUNTRY farmers have raised fears for this year’s harvest and winter feed supplies as the region looks on track to have one of the driest Mays since records began.
After a washout autumn in which many failed to drill their crops, but did manage to get back onto the fields in the spring, April was the sunniest on record in the UK and also one of the top three driest, according to the Met Office.
With the forecast showing little promise of rainfall for the remainder of the month, farmers have warned that cereal crops and grassland are now in desperate need of a downpour.
Mike Hambly, who farms near Callington in Cornwall, said his rain gauge had collected 33ml in April and only 7.8ml in May so far. He said: “If you were going to write a book on the worst possible weather combination that you could have growing cereals, then that’s probably what we’ve had since September.
“We could do with two weeks of soft, steady rain. We’ve seen dry summers, but this seems to have started so much earlier than before.”
On the Mendip Hills in Somerset, livestock farmer James Small said grass growing over the thinner soil has already started to burn up under the force of the unrelenting rays.
“Once its burnt, its not going to grow back,” he added. “We have reached that stage where the grass really is not moving. In the fields we have got set aside for hay and silage, there is nothing.”
WEEKS of sunshine and very little to no rainfall has left Westcountry farmers facing a weighty hit to this year’s harvest unless the forecast changes soon, with cereal crops and grass now in desperate need of a downpour.
After a washout autumn in which many struggled to get onto the fields and drill seeds for the next harvest, the region has experienced one of the driest springs in recent years.
April was the sunniest on record in the UK and also one of the top three driest, according to the Met Office.
And with the South West on course for its fourth driest May since records began in 1862, the wait for rain is getting increasingly anxious.
Mike Hambly, who farms on the outskirts of Callington in Cornwall, said the rain gauge had collected 33ml in April and only 7.8ml in May so far. At least two weeks of soft and steady rain is needed to freshen up the crops and kick-start grass regrowth after recently taking a first cut of silage.
He said: “If you were going to write a book on the worst possible weather combination that you could have growing cereals, then that’s probably what we’ve had since September. We had unbelievably persistent rain right through until about the third week of March. Crops didn’t get planted and what did get planted got muddled in and didn’t thrive because it was waterlogged.
“Then somebody turned the tap off and I think they’ve forgotten where the tap was to turn it back on. We had 33ml of rain in April and we’ve only had 7.8ml in May. But the surprising thing is, considering how wet it was after the winter, is just how quickly it’s really dried up.”
Mr Hambly, who also finishes some beef cattle, added that if the dry conditions continue into June, he will have to start supplementary feeding: “We had a first cut of silage, but there hasn’t been any regrowth there and you can still see some of the fertiliser lying on the top.”
There are “no expectations” of great yields this harvest, he said, with potential yields diminishing week by week.
Mr Hambly continued: “The only expectation we have at the moment is that it stays dry. We’ve seen dry summers, but this seems to have started so much earlier. It’s still only May and we’re scratching our heads looking at the grass. This farm should never ever be short of grass. We’re looking at fields that we only see in very dry summers in about July, but we’re six weeks ahead of that.
“We can’t change what it is, we have to cope with it, but it’s not easy and there’s no two ways of dressing it up, it’s not going to be a bountiful harvest this year.”
James Small, who keeps a suckler beef herd and flock of around 1,000 breeding ewes on the Mendip Hills in Somerset, said due to the farm’s geographical location, the land does tend to benefit from the moisture of morning and evening dews, but grass growing in areas of thinner soil has already started to burn up.
“Once its burnt, it’s not going to grow back. We have reached that stage where the grass really is not moving,” he explained. “We have two groups of cattle still receiving buffer feeding at the moment, when they would usually be just on grass.”
At a time when margins are tight on the farm, Mr Small would usually have an added stream of income from visitors to his glamping site, but this has been closed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’ve missed three months of bookings, but are aiming to reopen on July 3 and already have people waiting to visit,” he said.