The steady rain falling outside amounts to 77 (very welcome) millimetres since the drought broke. Soil is swelling and cracks are closing but a little digging shows that the wetted horizon is no more than 100mm from the surface in most cases. Still, with shorter days, a lower sun and heavier dews we can relax and pack away the irrigation. For some crops it was too late, but most are recovering well.
So far, the rain has been gentle and well-spaced; the ideal way to break a drought. However, I have never heard meteorologists be so confident and united in predicting an extreme El Niño and its impact on global weather patterns. Most expect the UK to have a torrential autumn and early winter. So, as we clear crops of beans, squash and lettuce, we are quickly sowing green manures to retain nutrients over winter. With most harvests running two to four weeks early after the heat, the hope is that the ground will be protected before the rains arrive.
Looking back on the farming years of my youth, I realise how profoundly practice has changed. It was common to plough in the winter, leaving the upturned furrows bare until it warmed and dried enough to make a seed bed for barley or wheat in spring. With changing weather patterns and the growing availability of fungicides and insecticides to protect crops through winter, today most cereals are sown in autumn and produce much higher yields.
One lesson from this year, especially with increasing risk of dry springs and summer droughts, is that if you haven’t sown by early April, you might as well leave the seed in the bag. On our farm, I previously considered north-facing fields largely unsuitable for veg but this year the marginal loss of sunlight has reduced moisture loss and produced better summer crops. We planted trees last winter and the north-facing slopes have done well, while we’ve lost 50% on the south-facing fields.
September is normally my favourite month, when we enjoy the fruits of our summer labour and settle into a steadier rhythm. This year, as I check in with neighbours and staff, the common theme is one of weirdness; the added stress of drought, on top of poor returns, and uncertainty around government support has left us all exhausted. Change is part of life and can bring opportunities but the growing pace of it seems to be challenging our ability to adapt psychologically and technologically.
Our News from the Farm posts come from Riverford. They are the digital versions of the printed letters which go out to customers, every week via Riverford’s veg boxes. Guy Singh-Watson’s weekly newsletters connect people to the farm with refreshingly honest accounts of the trials and tribulations of producing organic food, and the occasional rant about farming, ethical, and business issues he feels strongly about.
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