Farmers looking at options to conserve water after heatwaves
While some people may have enjoyed the recent heatwaves to hit the UK, farmers will be looking at all options to conserve water after the dry spells emptied reserves across the country.
Two-thirds of Europe has been, according to reports, under drought warnings. The recent report from the Global Drought Observatory said 47 per cent of the continent was in "warning" conditions, meaning soil has dried up, with another 17 per cent on alert, meaning vegetation "shows signs of stress".
Regardless of where you stand on the global warming debate, we have seen four dry spring seasons in the last five years, which should focus farming minds on storing water better.
Having worked in Africa and Australia where supplies are not so easily available, I believe our culture can learn from countries where people across society conserve stores all year round rather than waiting for droughts to think about reserves.
As a nation we are not very good at saving water compared with societies where they have to store it not just for agriculture but also for their homes and domestic showers.
A severe dry spell impacts not just current farming activity but the plans for the coming seasons. Decisions will be made based on the current water levels which will affect choices on crops for next year and beyond.
Land owners, land managers and farmers can look at practical solutions which may not need large investment. When I worked in Norfolk, where rainfall is lower than the West Midlands, I felt they were slightly better prepared because they were in a dryer part of the country.
At Bradford Estates we have four independent reservoirs, so we are looking at ways we can link them together while reviewing our storage capacity for surplus water.
Farmers do not need big budgets to harvest water in a smarter way. Simply accumulating water in 5,000 litre tanks all year round will leave you better supplied.
Advisers from the water companies are available to offer practical help on farming in a smarter way when it comes to water.
If nothing else comes from the recent heatwave, it would be great to see more people in our community looking at the options available to them to be better prepared before levels run dry in such a dramatic fashion again.
Oliver Scott is farms director at Bradford Estates
