Farmers battling driest spell since 1929

It is the second driest start to a year for a century, beaten only by the drought of 1929 when just 275.7mm of rain fell from January to the end of June, and farmers up and down the country are feeling the consequences.  

Livestock farmers have reported a reduction in silage yields of between 25 and 40 per cent compared to last year, with concerns about the quality of the second cut.

Given the extreme conditions EBLEX livestock scientist Dr Liz Genever advised farmers to get forage analysed and to use the information to formulate a feed plan.

“Farmers should consider options such as planting a catch crop if necessary and if soil moisture allows,” she said.

Dr Genever also advised careful management and forward planning to reduce the impact of dry weather on animal performance.

When sward heights fall below 4cm, she said sheep would need supplementary concentrates to maintain condition and performance.  

For cattle, she said bales of straw placed in the field could provide a good indication of supplementary feed requirement – if straw intake exceeds 2kg per head per day additional feed is required, she said.

The scorched conditions, which are attributed to a lack of Atlantic weather systems which usually push bands of rain across Britain, are also affecting a range of arable crops.

In many areas of the country crops are ripening too quickly and the quality of wheat, barley and oil seed rape is suffering.

“There has only been a tiny bit harvested so far but put it this way – we are not expecting record yields,” said Guy Gagen, NFU arable advisor.

“Farmers on light land are suffering the most but we are not expecting a disaster,” he said, adding the dry conditions were tempered slightly by moisture in the soil carried over from the winter.  

Wildlife is also suffering from drought conditions.

RSPB wetland reserves near the River Dee and the Ribble, in the North West, are suffering from parched conditions affecting thousands of wading birds, ducks and geese along with a wide range of amphibians, fish and insects.

“Wildlife relies on water just as we do, from brown trout and dragonflies to wetland birds such as snipe and lapwing,” said RSPB water policy officer Phil Burston. “Droughts like this one can have a real impact,” he added.

Barrie Clarke, communications director at Water UK, the water industry representative, warned reservoir levels were unusually low, and urged farmers to ‘use water wisely wherever you live’.

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