How one farmer rethought his system for a changing climate

Find out how one farmer has reshaped his system to be more resilient to the challenges of a changing climate.

Farming has always been shaped by the weather. But for Tim May, a fourth‑generation farmer at the Kingsclere Estate in Hampshire, recent years have made one thing clear: the old patterns can no longer be relied upon.

Later, wetter springs. Earlier, longer summer droughts. Thin, flinty and chalky soils struggling to cope. What once felt like occasional challenges were becoming the norm – and the farm’s traditional system was no longer fit for the future.

Tim said:

"Weather patterns are changing, with longer periods of wet and longer periods of dry.

"Now it's no surprise to be short of moisture, it's the norm – the unpredictable weather has now become predictable, so the challenge is to have enough food for the cows in these droughts and to change the way we farm to adapt to these changes."

Rather than firefighting year-on-year, Tim chose to step back and rethink how his farm worked with the changing climate, not against it.

As Tim took on responsibility for the farm over a decade ago, he began to notice clear shifts:

• Springs starting later and staying colder and wetter
• Summer droughts arriving earlier and lasting longer
• Declining arable yields on thin soils
• Grassland struggling to deliver consistent feed

The message was clear: incremental tweaks wouldn’t be enough. A more fundamental change was needed to build resilience into the system.

Tim’s response wasn’t a single change but a whole‑system rethink.

In 2017, the farm converted to organic production. Beef and sheep enterprises were replaced with a first‑generation dairy system, better suited to the land and climate. Half the farm moved into arable production, focused on drought‑tolerant oats, while the other half was put into four‑year multi‑species herbal leys to support grazing cows year‑round.

But adapting to climate change is an ongoing process. As springs became shorter and colder, Tim found some species in the herbal leys struggled to establish before drought conditions set in.

His response was to adapt again:

• Westerwolds rye-grass was added to establish quickly in cold springs and protect more delicate species
• Lucerne was introduced for its deep rooting and drought tolerance, extending grazing into dry summer periods
• Ley mixes were refined to balance early growth, resilience and feed quality

These changes helped stabilise forage supply and improve performance under increasingly variable conditions.

Other system changes reinforced the farm’s resilience:

• Direct drilling oats in early September, suited to dry conditions and suppressing weeds
• Moving to outwintering, with calving from mid‑March onwards
• Using a mobile milking parlour, allowing cows to be grazed and milked across the farm

This flexibility reduced walking distances for cows, improved welfare by lowering lameness risk and ensured nutrients were returned evenly across the land through manure.

With resilient leys in place, the dairy herd is largely fed from the farm’s own forage, reducing reliance on bought‑in feed and increasing self‑sufficiency. Tim has also observed improved milk yields when cows are grazing lucerne during dry periods.

Tim’s story isn’t about copying one system wholesale. It’s about understanding risk, recognising vulnerability and adapting early.

Key takeaways include:

• Climate patterns are changing – plan for variability, not averages
• Build resilience into soils and forage systems to buffer drought and excess rainfall
• Review crop and forage choices with future conditions in mind
• Flexibility in infrastructure and management can unlock welfare, labour and resilience benefits
• Adaptation is ongoing – what works today may need refining tomorrow

Above all, Tim’s experience shows the value of stepping back to assess where the real risks lie and where change can deliver the greatest long‑term benefit.

He said:

"One of the key drivers for climate resilience is the ability to adapt and be nimble in your farming system – climate resilience and business resilience go hand in hand."

Every farm faces different climate risks depending on location, soils, enterprises and system. To help farmers identify where they may be vulnerable – and what practical actions they could take – we have developed the Climate resilience on‑farm action planners.

The planners are practical, farmer‑focused tools designed to help you:

• Identify climate‑related risks to your business
• Prioritise the areas that matter most
• Explore short‑, medium‑ and long‑term actions
• Capture what you’re already doing
• Build resilience into your wider business planning

Whether you’re already adapting or just starting to think about climate impacts, the action planners provide a structured way to take control and plan ahead.