William Waterfield (Andover)

With the second year of drought biting across the country and the predictions that drought will become more frequent, the question being asked is how we adapt our cropping to accommodate these changed circumstances. For some, hotter drier summers will undoubtedly mean more housing, less grazing, and more conservation. For those wanting to keep a lid on costs and to continue to graze, the challenge is even greater.

Lucerne on the right soils is my first option proving itself again this year. Although slow to germinate and establish and nearly always testing the farmers patience, rarely producing more than a light cut in the first year and taking well into the second year before it becomes fully productive, it will last 5 years and provide four cuts of silage without needing any nitrogen. Whilst not suited to all soil types, on high pH or free draining soils the popularity is obvious. The photo below, taken on the 10^th of August this year, shows lucerne can be grazed by dairy cows.

Diversity brings greater resilience and a reduction in risk. Herbal leys have proved again that they keep going longer, although most are now succumbing to the drought. Bi-crops such as pea and barley have been popular with some organic farmers and now winter bi-crops of wheat or oats plus beans are proving themselves. Whilst all these options bring increased complexity, they may just help one to avoid the worst effects of a drought.

Cool season grasses such as forage Rye, Westerwold or Italian ryegrass planted in the autumn when soils are still warm, and nitrogen levels are high, is another option. Aim for one or two early cuts of silage and follow it with a maize or some tall grass grazing.

In the south, the dry spring has had as much as an impact as the summer drought. This has been particularly true for anyone trying to plant grass or brassicas for summer feeding. Maize may have been impacted but on better soils there is still a reasonable crop. It has offered some consistency for winter feed or summer buffer and it may be that the simplest solution is to grow a greater area of maize. Be prepared to hold stock for longer and accept that it comes with a significant increase in costs.

Looking to the future, clearly there are agronomic solutions and improvements in soils to improve resilience, but this is unlikely to provide all the answers. Whilst the arable growers may look to the near continent for novel crops, the livestock farmer may have few alternatives. One alternative might be Sudan grass – like maize it is a C4 plant, making it more efficient and drought tolerant as C4 grasses are more efficient photosynthesizers. Sudan grass, even though it is an annual and planted in the spring, can produce large qualities of forage in dry conditions. It is probably best used for silage but modern varieties can be grazed.

Fodder beet, whilst spring planted and slow to establish, does offer the potential for large volumes of quality forage later in the winter.

Early spring planting has avoided the worst of the problem. Having a root established before it got too dry has certainly worked. For heavy land farmers considering spring cropping presents another set of challenges which are not easy to address.

Farmers have been good at adopting new practices and planning how to cope with the anticipated changes in the weather is one such challenge. It is unlikely that there is one silver bullet to address the problems of climate change.

If you would like to discuss this further, please contact William Waterfield at w.waterfield@fcgagric.com or your local FCG office.