UK Farming: the Everchanging Landscape

Around 292,000 people work in farming in England, according to the government’s 2023 Survey of Agriculture. With an additional 66,800 in Scotland, 38,200 in Wales and 25,000 in Northern Ireland, a large section of the community is gearing up for their busiest time of year.

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The latest statistics show wet weather and flooding across much of the UK, followed by an exceptionally dry start to summer 2024, has decreased the yield of fruit and vegetables this year. This has left farmers devising cropping strategies to reflect the weather conditions caused by climate change, including a reduction in key winter crops, such as barley and wheat.

The challenges

According to the Farmers Weekly Sentiment Survey, farmers have faced significant challenges from rising costs and unpredictable British weather. Increased expenses for fertiliser, animal feeds, crop sprays, labour and rent have been burdensome over the past year, with the weather being the most unpredictable and testing factor.

Livestock costs increase

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs revealed livestock costs had increased on average by around one-third over 12 months. However, some costs had risen significantly higher, including a 45% increase in feed and fodder.

Farmers had to increase milk prices to 46.4 pence per litre in 2023 (a 41% rise) to make just a small profit, as production costs at dairy farms went up to 36.4 pence per litre.

On average, farm business income for livestock farms on lowland grazing land went down by 37%, with rising costs blamed as the major reason.

A study by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board in June predicted UK milk production for 2024/25 will continue to be slow because of “challenging” weather. The total yield is forecast to be 12.2 billion litres – a drop of 1% compared with the same period in 2023/24.

The AHDB said an “exceptionally wet” autumn, winter and spring in 2023/24 had caused problems, as farmers had been unable to put their cattle out to graze. The ground had been damaged by excessive rainfall, so grass growth was poor. To add to that farmers were unable to fertilise the fields or control weeds.

Impact of global warming on crop production

Extremes of weather due to global warming led to a reduction in crops in 2023/24, following the wettest 18 months since records began, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Soil in many parts of Britain has been waterlogged for long periods and a number of farms have been completely underwater at times. As a result, the year-on-year yield of vegetables has reduced by 4.9%, with a total of 2.2 million tonnes being harvested.

Fruit harvests have fared worst, with a reduction of 12% year-on-year to 585,000 tonnes. Some farmers were unable to plant because of the exceptionally wet weather; the growing area of vegetables nationwide went down by 6.5% to 101,000 hectares.

Wet weather was followed by an exceptionally dry start to summer 2024, making it challenging for farmers who could not irrigate to plant their crops. Going from one extreme to another caused a decline in various vegetables, including broccoli (down 0.4%); onions (13%); cauliflower (9.2%) and carrots (7.2%).

Cultivating land to optimise crop production

According to the Early Bird Survey carried out in March 2024 by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, UK farmers are cultivating land to optimise crop production by changing their growing strategies.

The analysis asked farmers about the amount of arable production they planned to carry out in the foreseeable future to determine what a reduction in key crops could mean for the nation. A crop reduction was projected for the five main arable crops of winter barley, winter wheat, spring barley, oats and oilseed rape compared with the figures for 2023, as farmers changed their strategy.

The biggest decline in yield was predicted for winter wheat, winter barley and oilseed rape, with planting being reduced by 26%, 33% and 38% respectively to allow for the probability of another wet winter in 2024/25.

According to the survey, the decrease in production of these five arable crops alone equated to a loss of around four million tonnes of produce, down to 18.9 million tonnes in 2024 from 22.8 million tonnes in 2023.

Recommended sowing strategies

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, in collaboration with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, has released a guide on long-term crop sowing strategies. AFBI trials have resulted in an autumn drilling list for arable crops like winter wheat. Proper plant density is crucial to avoid higher disease risk from overly dense crops.

The recommended population for winter wheat is 260 plants per square metre. The AFBI recommends reducing the seed rate when sowing earlier if you’re confident the crop can be efficiently managed to maximise the plants’ survival.

Livestock management

Farming livestock brings its own set of challenges, with increased rainfall meaning cattle will have to spend more time in the barn over autumn and winter.

The RSPCA has recently voiced concerns for cattle left outdoors during the colder months, calling for more access to well-maintained animal housing. Being outdoors in wet weather can lead to lung problems, especially for young cattle. Providing a warm barn with rubber cow matting to insulate the floor and good ventilation improves their wellbeing.

Bedding materials such as sawdust, straw and wood shavings can be complemented by high-quality animal matting, not only giving cattle a more comfortable shelter, but also saving money, as it will reduce the amount of bedding you’ll need.

Rubber mats keep barn floors clean and dry and are easy to hose down, rather than getting damp and potentially harbouring bacteria.