Across the UK, farmers are looking to the sky and praying for rain.
Some areas of southern England, where much of the country’s food is grown, have not had any significant rain since June. This has put a lot of pressure on this year’s crop, but next year things could get 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 late October to be viable.
The cattle are now fed on winter hay, because the grass has dried up and there is nothing to eat, which is a fear that they will have to be slaughtered in early winter when the food runs out.
The amount of water needed for this year’s crops has also increased due to the lack of rain, so farmers have been emptying reservoirs. Statistics from the UK’s Center for Ecology and Hydrology show that for rivers and reservoirs to reach normal levels next year, consecutive months of above-average rainfall are needed.
Martin Lines, the UK Chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, grows mainly winter cereals on his farm in Cambridgeshire. He said: “We’re seeing the impacts of the drought on our spring crops that we’re harvesting at the moment and a reduced crop yield. Many vegetable farmers are running out of water and seeing crop potential being lost .
“At this time we should be planting our next rapeseed crops, but there is no moisture in the soil for them to germinate and grow. With the current crisis in Ukraine, this could mean a further reduction in vegetable oil production in the year coming.
“We need government and supply chains to step up and take our climate change and drought more seriously. We have invested too little in water management and storage for too long. We are seeing crops that have thrown away because they haven’t made the right size because of the weather. We need all edible crops to get to the table and supply chains and consumers need to change demands for perfect-looking produce.”
Some farmers have so far managed to protect themselves from the worst effects of the dry climate by adopting nature-friendly farming methods.
Healing the soil
Pete Thompson runs Brook Farm in Essex, one of the driest parts of the country. He grows vegetables, especially brassicas and spring onions. After spending several years trying to improve the structure of the soil to better hold moisture, he says he’s almost got things going.
In recent decades, farmers have cultivated the field, then harvested, then plowed, then sown, then harvested and plowed again, which means that organic matter is removed from the soil, which it is of poor quality. Thompson has been ensuring that crop residues remain in the soil, breaking down and improving its quality.
Some areas have had no significant rainfall since June. Photograph: Adventurer Patrick/ABACA/Rex/Shutterstock
“You can see a noticeable difference in yield in fields where there is organic matter returned, which is cover crops and the way we grow our crops, we incorporate a lot of crop residues and try to constantly build organic matter.” he said
“Where this has not happened, you have seen that the crops have not gone so well. Decaying plant matter helps soil structure.”
He still has trouble with drilling next year’s crop, though. “Now we have cost and planning issues as we have to irrigate before we drill and after we drill as the ground is so dry.”
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Jake Freestone, a regenerative farmer from Tewkesbury in the Cotswolds, told the Guardian he had found a temperature difference of 10C between soil with cover crops and organic matter and soil without. He says the methods he uses make the soil act like a “massive sponge,” holding water and requiring less watering.
Olive growing in Essex
Thompson is growing olives on the slopes of his farm, hoping the tree’s roots will help stop soil erosion. They could also potentially be a viable crop as the climate warms. “We have an olive project, a long-term project to identify suitable varieties for the UK. We have been picking olives and this year’s crop is quite good – they are growing in hot and dry conditions. At the moment it seems quite Mediterranean. He also works by planting trees on slopes where we have had problems with soil erosion: they have reduced soil erosion and help with biodiversity.”
Shelter for sheep
Many of the farmers The Guardian spoke to have benefited from the hedges and trees they have planted. Animals have faced heat stress in the high temperatures, but farmers who have planted trees for biodiversity have found that they have provided shade for their livestock.
Jo Cartwright, who runs Swillington Organic Farm in Leeds, found that her cattle were able to rest from the heat under the trees. “We have a lot of natural tree shelter that stock spends a lot of time in when it’s hot,” he said. However, “the downside to 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 grasses and wild 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 meadows and old meadows, and have not been overgrazed areas, have found which are being managed without supplementary feeding.
Cartwright said: “I reduced the storage rates [the density of animals on the land] last year and although the grass is drying up, [have] he had yet to feed any supplementary fodder. Part of the farm is bog or rough pasture that holds up well in drought conditions.”
Tim Jury, who runs Freshwinds at Pickham Farm in Hastings, uses ‘crowd grazing’ to keep his grasses long and of high quality. This method involves emulating 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 period, then given a long rest period. This allows the grass to be fertilized by their manure and grow, and results in many different heights of vegetation, which is good for biodiversity.
“The crowd grazing protected the soil surface and allowed the calves to find cooler temperatures at ground level. The recently planted trees didn’t make it, but we’ll try again this winter,” he said.