Whereas many have been absorbing the spring sunshine, farmers throughout southern England are going through rising concern over the affect of an prolonged dry spell on their crops.
With little rain forecast within the coming days, many fields are struggling, as crops sown earlier this spring fail to germinate in more and more parched soil. For farmers like Colin Rayner, who runs Stubbings Farm in Maidenhead, the state of affairs is already having a critical impact on yield potential.
Rayner stated the spring barley he planted a number of weeks in the past has “hardly germinated”, leaving him hoping for rain by the weekend. “We had a very wet winter,” he informed BBC Radio Berkshire. “I think we had 90 days of rain from November to the end of February. Then it just stopped.”
“The ground’s dried out very quickly. We’ve had cold temperatures but then very hot lunchtimes,” he added. “In the morning, I’ve got two jumpers on and by lunchtime I’ve got my shorts and T-shirt on. By 3pm, the jumper’s back on again.”
Rayner, who has been farming for 50 years, says the climate has modified “dramatically” in that point. “We seem to get periods of extreme wet and then periods of extreme hot and dry.”
His considerations are echoed throughout the area. In Newbury, farmer George Brown can be battling uneven crop growth. “A lot of the crops that were planted early are coming through, but we’ve got large chunks – especially on top of the hills – where it’s absolutely barren. They’re just sitting there, waiting in rows to germinate,” he stated.
Final autumn, many farmers had been unable to plant winter crops in any respect attributable to persistent rainfall and waterlogged fields. Now, the problem has flipped, with quickly drying floor and restricted rainfall placing spring sowings in danger.
Dr Paola Tosi, an knowledgeable in crop science on the College of Studying, stated the shift in seasonal patterns is making farm planning more and more tough. “Agriculture really depends on seasonal weather patterns, and those have clearly changed a lot,” she stated. “It’s very difficult for farmers to decide what to drill and where to plant their crops.”
Nonetheless, she identified that enhancements in mid-range forecasting are providing growers extra flexibility. “Farmers can increasingly adjust their plans as forecasts improve – but that doesn’t help when the weather extremes are so unpredictable.”
With margins tight and planting home windows slim, farmers say they’re more and more reliant on beneficial climate patterns – and proper now, many are merely praying for rain.
