Weather Challenges and Crop Insights: A Year in Review
Anyone connected to farming hardly needs reminding of how difficult the weather has been over the past 12 months. A wet winter was followed by prolonged drought in much of the country from March onwards, creating some of the toughest growing conditions in recent memory. “Challenging” barely scratches the surface. In parts of Oxfordshire, entire fields remained bare all summer.
Of course, conditions varied across the UK. In the North Cotswolds, for example, 300mm of rain fell between January and June, but more than 90% of that came before March. A brief shower arrived in mid-May, then very little rain fell until 22 July, when the first substantial downpour finally arrived. Cambridgeshire told a slightly different story, with 85mm in January and February, a mere 7mm in March, 48mm in April and May, and 33mm recorded so far in July.
Fibre Crops Under Pressure
For the fibre crops featured in CHCx3, the outcome has been mixed. Flax, typically drilled from March to early April, fared better in some regions. In Scotland the crop remains healthy, with its deep fibrous root system able to draw on moisture from lower soil horizons. In contrast, fields in Oxfordshire and East Yorkshire suffered as drought arrived earlier and lasted longer. In at least one case the trial had to be abandoned, while elsewhere the crop is noticeably stunted.
Hemp has also been hit hard. Its mid-May drill date proved problematic, particularly in Oxfordshire where establishment was very slow. The picture was brighter, however, on fenland soils where the higher water table allowed the deep tap roots to access much-needed reserves.
Lessons from Herbal Ley Trials
Our herbal ley trials produced both expected and surprising outcomes. As anticipated, deep-rooting perennial leys containing legumes, herbs and forage grasses performed better during drought than grass-dominated mixes. This was clearly reflected in biomass assessments. What stood out, however, was the strong performance of the lamb finishing ley. This simple mix of legumes, chicory and ribgrass delivered particularly high biomass and vigorous growth, outperforming all other leys. Below ground biomass was also strong, underlining the resilience of this combination.
Cover Crop Surprises
The cover crop trials highlighted the complexity of timing and seed rates. Our working theory was that increasing the seed rate could offset the reduction in biomass from later drilling dates. In practice, the opposite occurred. Higher seed rates led to stronger interplant competition, which was further compounded by herbivore predation, ultimately reducing biomass. Cold, wet soil conditions in late winter and early spring 2025 may have also contributed to these outcomes.
