Lucy Nott: Harvest 2022 weather is a taste of the future

If you want to know the weather forecast, ask a farmer.

Well there might not be much point in asking a farmer these days, as the answer will probably be “Your guess is as good as mine”.

I’m more inclined to look out of the window than at my phone to get an update – the weather apps can’t seem to make their minds up anymore.

I’m not going to elaborate on how hot and dry it has been (insert your favourite hot weather comment here), but I will say our harvest ended in the second week of August, which was the earliest finish we’ve had since 1976.

See also: Lucy Nott – don’t dub me a farmer’s wife

About the author

Lucy Nott

Farmlife opinion writer

Lucy lives with her husband, a sixth-generation farmer, and their two children on a 100ha (250 acre) arable farm in Worcestershire. On the farm they have a passion for regenerative agriculture and aspire to transition to a regenerative system. They are also part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot and are trialling lots of new things on the farm. They hosted their first LEAF Open Farm Sunday (LOFS) this year and Lucy is now the LOFS Ambassador for the West Midlands.

Read more articles by Lucy Nott

It wasn’t a straightforward end of harvest, either.

We ended up combining our beans at 3am, as when we started cutting in the daytime the heat caused the pods to shatter and confetti-cannon beans all over the field. Less than ideal.

After everything was in the silos and barns, I realised I was feeling a bit scared. This harvest seemed so hectic with plans constantly changing and crops rapidly readying.

It felt like the beginning of a new era, a taste of what’s to come.

We are on the frontline of our changing climate and I feel like an under-trained soldier fighting with old tactics.

But new tactics don’t necessarily mean new equipment. A shiny new direct drill isn’t going to change your soil health overnight.

Transition needs patience and, before big investments are made, small adjustments in tactics can be implemented using existing machinery.

For example, we’ve been broadcasting a catch crop before we plant our winter beans and we used our combi drill to plant some cover crops straight into subsoiled ground, which eliminated the need to scuffle.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to get permanently ahead of the weather – and it’s going to keep testing us. Therefore, we need our soil in the best possible condition to withstand the challenge.

So, dear weather gods, please be kind to us. We’re trying our best and working with what we’ve got, but a relationship involves compromise from both sides.

If you could distribute the rain a bit more evenly, that would be great.

Yours sincerely, farmers everywhere.