Climate resilience on-farm action planner: Drier summers/low summer rainfall

Here are some of the impacts of drier summers and low rainfall and the actions you can take using our Climate resilience on-farm action planner.

Summers are expected to be drier as well as hotter on average. UK Climate Projections (UKCP) predict a decrease in soil moisture during summers in the future, consistent with the reduction in summer rainfall.

Summers are expected to be ~10% drier than the 1981–2000 average by mid-century.

Supply may become unavailable to use on farm, making abstraction more difficult.

• Consider installing additional supply, including additional on-farm water storage, rainwater harvesting and water recycling
• Consider conducting a water audit to help determine daily water requirements and identify future potential areas at risk and water efficiency savings
• Make sure your supplier knows you are a Category 4-sensitive customer and that they have up-to-date contact information
• Consider water sharing and water rights trading between abstraction licence holders

There may be disruption or limitations to the mains water supply for use on farm for drinking water and cleaning out.

• Investigate if you can have a borehole for groundwater abstraction
• Consider installing rainwater harvesting on your farm buildings, or a winter storage reservoir and treatment system so water can be used on farm

This could make water abstraction more difficult.

• Calculate the need for supply, e.g. by conducting a water audit
• Install additional supply, including additional on-farm water storage
• Consider water sharing and water rights trading between abstraction licence holders

• Ensure a mains water supply is available as back-up
• Reduce high-volume traffic

• Quantify and track forage growth, e.g by measuring grass through plate metering and recording weekly
• For suckler herds, consider creep feeding spring-born calves to reduce their grass intake. This will make more grass available for the cows and reduce milk demand during periods of poor grass growth
• Modify grazing periods and stocking rates to match available forage supply and protect residuals
• Introduce buffer feeding early if pasture growth declines. Consider alternative bedding materials and feed sources if necessary
• Consider mixed species swards. Clover tolerates dry conditions and heat longer than rye-grass. Deeper rooting forage species such as chicory and plantain can help to retain moisture in the soil and therefore maintain pasture viability for longer

• When sward heights are below 4 cm, buffer feeding (supplementary forage or concentrates) will be needed to maintain condition and performance such as for autumn fertility
• Aim to introduce additional feed before extreme feed shortages to extend the forage, and always introduce slowly to reduce the risk of acidosis
• Adjusting livestock management, e.g. reducing stock numbers to make resources (especially fodder) more manageable

• See the impact and actions in the Summer daily maximum temperature/heat extremes section of the planner

• Drought-tolerant forage species and alternative feeds such as from agroforestry or coproducts
• Longer periods to allow swards to recover, improving long-term pasture longevity
• Adoption of precision technologies to monitor herd performance, such as improved feed tracking