The Hidden Cost of Sunshine for Farmers

We’ve been enjoying a stretch of glorious sunshine lately—and many of us are beginning to wonder if this could be the start of a long, warm summer. 

But while sunshine might lift our spirits, it brings growing concerns for the UK’s farmers. 

It’s easy to assume that dry, sunny weather is a blessing for those working outdoors, but when it comes to farming, prolonged dry spells can be deeply disruptive—and even damaging. 

Farming is perhaps more vulnerable to weather extremes than any other industry.

From too much rain to not enough, the growing unpredictability of the climate is a direct challenge to how food is produced in the UK. Media reports are already warning that England could be heading towards drought this summer, with reservoir levels worryingly low and little rain on the horizon. 

Just last year, farmers were contending with sodden fields and heavy rain. This year, it’s the complete opposite—and the consequences are being felt now. 

Very dry weather has a number of impacts for both livestock and arable farmers. 

“We are pretty much out of grass now,” says Matt Elphick, our tenant dairy farmer at Brays Farm in Surrey, said. “The cows are still out and grazing but it’s not enough so we have had to buy in some haylage to keep them topped up, which is an added cost that we did not expect, and we would not expect to feed them at this time of year.  

“We should be enjoying the spring grass and the benefits of that with high milk yields, but it’s not panned out like that.”

Matt said he would ideally have all his paddocks rested for month, but he is having to move the cattle quicker than that because there is just not the grass.

“Usually at this time of year we would have lovely, long grass with lots of different plants in it but all we really have is buttercups. Even the clover is not loving the drought,” added Matt.

But, as a regenerative farmer, Matt is constantly looking to improve his soil- and his aim is to improve its infiltration when it does rain.

He said: “We are four years into our regenerative farming journey and what we are looking to do is create a soil where it’s able to withstand more of this extreme weather so that when it does rain, it’s got really good infiltration and can store it for longer in the soil. That’s the long-term plan.”

Tim Scott, who runs Lark Rise Farm in Cambridgeshire, echoes these concerns from an arable farming perspective. 

“The shortage of rain is certainly a worry to farmers. Some of my crops sown in the first week of March, where they should be 100 per cent ground cover, are looking really rank and not really growing. They are very stressed.”

Tim said, although the weather can always change, we are potentially in for another difficult harvest, for totally different reasons to last year. 

“Commodity prices are pretty rubbish so it’s a perfect storm as we are looking at low yields and low prices, which is bad news for arable farmers yet again,” he said. 

Tim said for consumers, the prices are currently good as the prices are not currently reacting to the state of the crops. 

“But if prices do go up, it will be handed onto consumers and then it’s a worrying time. But at the moment, people are just thinking it’s lovely weather. We just need some rain but it’s got to be the right kind. A little shower and non-agricultural people will say we’ve had some rain but it immediately evaporates. What we need is a gentle rain from 6pm to midnight so it can soak in before the sun comes up.” 

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