Weather: Farmers pray for rain amid driest spring on record
A twofold blow of record sunshine and low rainfall has left crops in "survival mode" and struggling to grow, a farmer has warned.The Met Office previously confirmed April 2025 saw the most sunshine in the UK since records began 115 years ago - with 47% more hours of sunshine than the long-term average.The recent weather follows England's wettest 18-month period between October 2022 and March 2024, which caused damage to the soil, according the Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Arable farmer Nigel Friend raises animals and grows crops at Cranborne Chase in Dorset, he says unless weather improves in the next ten days, there could be grain shortages.
Mr Friend told BBC radio presenter Steve Harris he has been farming all his life and this year, they need "significant amounts of rainfall". "Crops are suffering, the increased heat is causing problems for animals as well, with things like fly strike on sheep being very early this year and obviously we're preserving our foraged stocks for the winter ahead, because we don't have any grass," he explained.Mr Friend said farmers across the UK had "suffered two horrendously wet years" which had damaged the soil, but after the recent dry weather he is now finding cracks on his farm at least 10in (25.4cm) deep.
George Brown who grows porridge oats, spring barley and white clover on Priors Farm in Peasemore near Newbury shares Mr Friend's concerns.He said: "You've got to remind yourself you've been very lucky to have the sun at your back, but really I've been praying for rain for the last six weeks. "We wanted some rain to get the crops growing out of the ground, but it just hasn't turned up."
'Disastrous crop'
Mr Friend is expecting dry weather for another 10 weeks based on long range forecasting, but said the next 10 days would be "crucial" for farmers."Normally by now you would expect wheat to be knee high, at the moment it's halfway between your ankle and your knee. "The weather over the next 10 days will make the difference between us having reasonable crop to harvest and a disastrous crop due to the lack of moisture."Mr Friend's concerns come after the Environment Agency warned there is a "medium risk" of a summer drought.The Met Office told BBC Weather the UK has had an average rainfall accumulation of 80mm so far this spring, compared to an average of 229mm, making it the driest spring on record.
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