As reflected upon in my last piece, climate change will inevitably drive adaptation in the farmed landscape. This will range from an appreciation that heavily tilled, late drilled arable crops pose an unacceptable risk of being caught out by a wet autumn/winter season in almost any region and circumstance, to farms in certain catchments taking the view that the system as a whole which they have successfully operated for generations is no longer viable with increasingly unstable meteorology. Indeed, it’s land at both ends of the soil texture spectrum – both heavier clays and lighter sands – which equally pose challenges for management going forward.

Direct Driller – July 2024