September 2025
Hello and welcome to the September Newsletter. What a hot month August was – the ground really changed and lots of you have been suffering with a lack of grass. The rain at the end of the month has been most welcome. Tom’s article later looks at drought/heat, with a few things to think about for next year.
We have recently been informed by APHA that the diagnosis of haemonchus worm infection in sheep has doubled this year – something that we had picked up on among our clients. Haemonchus can cause severe anaemia and death. We can detect high numbers of eggs on faecal samples if adult worms are present – easy to diagnose and easy to treat.
This month, there are some relaxations in bluetongue movement control. From noon on 21st September, animals that have completed any bluetongue 3 vaccination as per the data sheet, and show no signs of illness, can be moved into Wales to live without a pre-movement test, but still with a general licence. This includes farm-to-farm, via markets and from shows or collection centres. Unvaccinated animals can still be moved but will still require a negative pre-movement test and specific licence. When temperatures decrease, the virus is less likely to be able to complete the incubation period within the midge – so although midges stay around throughout the year, they are less likely to be infected. A cold winter would help – as with many other parasites. But for tips on another hot summer, read on.
Mary
Drought: Dealing with the new Normal?
In previous years drought conditions like this summer would have been labelled “unprecedented” but it feels like they are becoming more and more common. I was intrigued to see if this is truly the case. Looking at historical data from the Met Office for Wales the Spring/Summers are definitely getting hotter with maximum temperatures higher than the 60-70s by 1-2 degrees. Spring rainfall is also lower than in the 60-70s by 15mm but summer rainfall is higher by 25mm. The Winters are also getting wetter, an extra 100mm compared to the 60-70s. For detailed breakdowns see UK temperature, rainfall and sunshine time series - Met Office
We seem to therefore be experiencing hotter conditions, with potentially lower to similar rainfall levels. However, the rain does seem to be more sporadic, with sustained dry periods but when it rains it tends to pour. With livestock rearing so dependent on grass growth and in turn therefore the weather I wanted to consider some ideas to help reduce the impact of drought.
Healthy Pasture
I’m definitely no agronomist but it makes complete sense that a healthy pasture will be more drought tolerant. Its shown that pastures rotationally grazed grow longer into a drought and recover better when it rains, due to having a larger root structure. Having a mixed species pasture with some drought tolerant varieties is also recommended, select those with a good tap root.
Land Management
If ground is hard it is often also compacted meaning it is a lot harder for water to be absorbed and significant run off will occur. So, we may get a good level of rainfall but our utilisation on the pasture is limited. Leaving grass to grow longer or not be grazed as short can help reduce the amount of run off as the grass acts as a barrier. Longer grass also keeps soil cooler so less water is lost by evaporation. Barrier forage/ cover crops at the bottom of slopes/edges of fields and near water courses will reduce run off of water, soil and added fertilisers etc. Incorporating shading through hedgerows/trees will promote a cooling affect of the surrounding area, reducing water loss and providing areas for livestock to keep out of the heat reducing risk of heat stress.
Livestock
It makes sense that lower stocking numbers require less forage however this has to be managed inline with business margins. A good work around for this is selling store lambs/calves to pre-empt times when grass may be short, this will work out some years but not others. Lower stock numbers will allow you then to prioritise grass availability to those that need it, for example flushing ewes before/during tupping.
Collecting water/Irrigation
Knowing that we are actually having an increase in rainfall over the year but it’s not when we need it is quite infuriating. Rainwater capture and storage for utilisation in drought periods is the obvious work around but it would require investment. There are plenty of systems for collecting and storing water available. Filters may be required depending on the intended use of the water. However, cheap and simple IBC’s connected to downpipes can easily store water for washing down tractors etc. Rainwater harvesting would also decrease the quantity of water entering the slurry pit. Farmers Weekly did an article exploring on farm water harvesting in June 2020 for more details.
In conclusion a changing climate is definitely upon us and an ability to utilise our available resources could mean definite opportunities for Welsh farmers. I can see scenarios where other parts of the UK look to Wales with its rainfall for water resources and associated grown forage for feeding livestock in drier parts. While not an in-depth article I hope it’s given the reader some food for thought.
This month’s author is Tom Searle
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