The Drought

CornishTone

Member
BASIS
Location
Cornwall
We are obviously not very good at managing water on our farms in this country. I’m trying to get better at it because we do seem to be getting more extreme weather and dry springs. We can’t solely blame the weather for everything it’s a cop out.

How does the saying go... "There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes."?

I suspect that could be translated soil management.

Weather patterns are changing and we can't keep doing the same thing each year, then get caught out, then blame the weather, then tell those that offer an alternative that they are evangelistic lunatics (even if they are ;) ).
 
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ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
How does the saying go... "There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes."?

I suspect that could be translated soil management.

Weather patterns are changing and we can't keep doing the same thing each year, then get caught out, then blame the weather, then tell those that offer an alternative that they are evangelistic lunatics (even if they are :sneaky:).
Absolutely. I don’t care if they think I’m an evangelist lunatic. I’m actively trying to addresse the issues presented rather than bleating and crying about how unfair it all is.
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
4mm here, could’ve done with 40. Suddenly when there’s 3,000 mouths to feed and the spring growth hasn’t started yet it’s time this grass hurried up! Fields are noticeably greener this morning though. Dry/sunny here for 23 days now.
 
Neighbouring land with a blocked under road drain hasn’t dried up much yet :ROFLMAO:
 

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Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
seriously though I wonder what they would be posting if they farmed in this country
any fool can laugh from afar
not that I see any drought, bloody cold wind has burnt it up the last couple weeks though, have you had any of that ?
Plenty of farmers made droughts in NZ this year, don't worry about that.
Winter / spring = wet
Summer = dry

You'd think they'd have sussed out a bit of a pattern by now but apparently it's all up to the weather, yes, the weather is at fault for their lack of management... and lack of planning

A "just hang in there" approach is no longer effective.

T'was different when I was a lad, rainfall was different then, but the climate has changed and so has the economic climate - it's made many farmers greedy.
They paid 6 mill for a bit of land but don't nurse it, rather they expect it to provide for them and their bankloan repayments... but it is still the same bit of land that changed hands for a tenth of that sum a blink of a hawk ago.
But these guys who have a drought every spring, that's really something - and they believe their farm's working well which is even more amazing
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
Absolutely. I don’t care if they think I’m an evangelist lunatic. I’m actively trying to addresse the issues presented rather than bleating and crying about how unfair it all is.
Best stick to suffolk, its 500 miles south of here and rather different
Even the no till evangelists round-here have ploughed this yr
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Plenty of farmers made droughts in NZ this year, don't worry about that.
Winter / spring = wet
Summer = dry

You'd think they'd have sussed out a bit of a pattern by now but apparently it's all up to the weather, yes, the weather is at fault for their lack of management... and lack of planning

A "just hang in there" approach is no longer effective.

T'was different when I was a lad, rainfall was different then, but the climate has changed and so has the economic climate - it's made many farmers greedy.
They paid 6 mill for a bit of land but don't nurse it, rather they expect it to provide for them and their bankloan repayments... but it is still the same bit of land that changed hands for a tenth of that sum a blink of a hawk ago.
But these guys who have a drought every spring, that's really something - and they believe their farm's working well which is even more amazing
farmers have been taught to produce more, using modern methods, ferts, sprays, new varieties etc. It is only now, farmers are finding things aren't working quite so well, and we are all looking for reasons, and a 'cure'. I'm no different, but I am beginning to think, there isn't a magic cure, as farmers, we have caused this to occur, on many soil types, things are still alright, it is the lighter soils that are giving problems. Basically we have wanked some soils out.
The cure is easy, look after the soils, and return to a well structured valuable asset, the how, is the hard bit, it's hard to look at fields, which have produced the goods for decades, going the other way, when next door field is still going well, and think it's me, that has done this. As kiwi pete, rightly say's, weather isn't like it used to be, and we have to adapt to that, look at this winter, how much winter corn got sown. The thinner soils are warning us, lets heed the warning, and try to think of soil structure more,
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
farmers have been taught to produce more, using modern methods, ferts, sprays, new varieties etc. It is only now, farmers are finding things aren't working quite so well, and we are all looking for reasons, and a 'cure'. I'm no different, but I am beginning to think, there isn't a magic cure, as farmers, we have caused this to occur, on many soil types, things are still alright, it is the lighter soils that are giving problems. Basically we have wanked some soils out.
The cure is easy, look after the soils, and return to a well structured valuable asset, the how, is the hard bit, it's hard to look at fields, which have produced the goods for decades, going the other way, when next door field is still going well, and think it's me, that has done this. As kiwi pete, rightly say's, weather isn't like it used to be, and we have to adapt to that, look at this winter, how much winter corn got sown. The thinner soils are warning us, lets heed the warning, and try to think of soil structure more,
What about the weather isn't like it used to be?
I don't see art thats not been seen before
 

Wombat

Member
BASIS
Location
East yorks
It’s bloody lovely here at the moment, shorts on getting lots done. Can take vehicles where ever I want, busy fencing and doing a load of jobs we haven’t been able to touch for 8 months

Okay the last field of barley has gone into cobbles but hey ho you can keep the rain
 

Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
4mm here, could’ve done with 40. Suddenly when there’s 3,000 mouths to feed and the spring growth hasn’t started yet it’s time this grass hurried up! Fields are noticeably greener this morning though. Dry/sunny here for 23 days now.
Hmm, we had about a half inch, are you up in Ceredigion? Agree that the bl**dy grass needs to get a shift on! But... it's remarkable how so soon after some rain the colour changes, perhaps it's rehydrated moss... :unsure: :arghh:
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
Hmm, we had about a half inch, are you up in Ceredigion? Agree that the bl**dy grass needs to get a shift on! But... it's remarkable how so soon after some rain the colour changes, perhaps it's rehydrated moss... :unsure: :arghh:
No I’m further south and west than Fishguard.
very coastal so can often miss a lot of rain. Moved the field of ewes/lambs behind the house yesterday and this afternoon you could see it had grown a bit! Lawn needs cutting but isn’t desperate yet, usually every 14 days this time of year moving to weekly from May-October, been 5 weeks since I last did it!
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
Have u had enough rain now?
Had a bit recently round here but still fairly dry, that's what the irrigators are for.
I think its still very dry up north and the shutdown is meaning dried out farms cant get stock away like they'd usually do. They're having to buy all their feed in.
Mrs Pom always says that round here there's always a six week period in every growing season where we get no, or bugger all rain. Don't think she's far off.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Had a bit recently round here but still fairly dry, that's what the irrigators are for.
I think its still very dry up north and the shutdown is meaning dried out farms cant get stock away like they'd usually do. They're having to buy all their feed in.
Mrs Pom always says that round here there's always a six week period in every growing season where we get no, or bugger all rain. Don't think she's far off.
We had two 6-week dry spells down here with a 9 inch dump in between to save the summer.
I wasn't counting on that, but it was very welcome, agree that being unable to destock is a major problem.

We've still got bulls here that were booked in before Christmas, but I like a challenge
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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