{"id":158092,"date":"2026-08-06T14:48:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/158092\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T14:48:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:48:09","slug":"farmers-feeling-the-impact-of-ongoing-dry-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/158092\/","title":{"rendered":"Farmers feeling the impact of ongoing dry weather"},"content":{"rendered":"

The continuing dry weather has caused concern for farmers at Market Drayton livestock market this week.<\/p>\n

They are worried about the effect on crops and livestock, and have warned that the nation’s milk supplies will be threatened.<\/p>\n

Richard Savage, a beef, sheep and arable farmer from Woodhall Farm near Shrewsbury, said: “We just see extremes, everything’s extremes nowadays.”<\/p>\n

The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it was “actively considering additional ways to support the sector”.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Richard Savage said his spring barley had not seen any rain since it was planted [BBC]<\/p>\n

Part of the problem is that last year had a long dry spell of weather too.<\/p>\n

Graham Parry, who farms sheep at Tumbledown Hill, Chartley, said: “Brooks [and] rivers never fully recovered from last year.”<\/p>\n

Savage said: “Spring barley (is) unbelievably poor. It’s not seen any rain since it’s gone in the ground.”<\/p>\n

Despite that, the market itself was really busy, with cattle coming through the gates in large numbers, partly because of the lack of grass in the fields to feed them.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Graham Parry said watercourses had not fully recovered from the dry weather in 2025 [BBC]<\/p>\n

Arable and livestock farmers are not the only ones struggling to look after their animals.<\/p>\n

Richard Kent, the co founder of Mickley Stud near Prees, said: “As a farmer you love to see green fields and you don’t like to see brown dust everywhere.”<\/p>\n

He said he was having to watch foals with respiratory problems very carefully and was having to spend extra to buy in food.<\/p>\n

Farmers told us winter food stocks are now being fed to dairy cows.<\/p>\n

With the added heat stress, industry experts say the amount of milk going into tanks is falling dramatically.<\/p>\n

Jason Brown, the dairy auctioneer at the livestock market, said: “There are not enough cows around to put enough milk in the tank to feed the country.<\/p>\n

“The country is going to be very short of milk very soon, unless there is something we can do about it.”<\/p>\n

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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