Farming for a Better Climate

It’s widely accepted that climate change is happening.   We are all going to have to adapt to the risks and opportunities that a changing climate could bring.

Predictions suggest that Scotland will experience more extreme weather events, with a trend towards hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters by 2050.  The difficulty is knowing how this is going to affect agriculture and how beneficial or disruptive is this going to be to routine farm practices. 

In Scotland, adapting to a changing climate could bring opportunities for farmers; for example we could see an extended growing season, increased forage production and earlier turnout could allow livestock to remain out of doors for a longer period of time. Crops not traditionally suited to the Scottish climate could become commonplace.

Along with benefits, there could also be risks.  Pests and diseases may increase, especially fluke and tick-borne diseases affecting livestock.  Heat stress in livestock could reduce production of milk or daily liveweight gain.

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent; it could be beneficial to take a second look at the farm to assess potential risks.

Extreme weather events - Flooding

• How vulnerable is your farm to flooding?
• Do you have areas you can move stock/machinery to if at risk of being caught in flood waters?
• Is farm drainage working adequately; are floodplains maintained?
• Do you have need or access to a back up power supply?

Extreme weather events - Prolonged sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall

• Do you have access routes to check livestock/deliver food and water?
• Are building roofs at risk of collapse through snow weight?
• Are pipes adequately lagged to prevent freezing?
• Can livestock get access to drinking water?
• Do you have enough capacity to store slurry while snow is on the ground?

Extreme weather events - Drought and heat waves

• Do you have the facilities to store water on the farm?
• Do you have access to an additional water source for irrigation or livestock watering if required?
• Do livestock need additional shade and water? 
• Are livestock buildings adequately ventilated?

Extreme weather events - High winds and increased storminess

• Are farm building roofs secure?
• Are bales stacked securely?
• Are there any trees that could cause damage to buildings or property around the steading?
• Do you have need or access to a back up power supply?

How can you adapt to climate change?

Actions will depend on each individual farm business; there isn’t going to be one single approach that will suit all farms. Adaptation Scotland suggest the following ideas for consideration:

• Changing the timing of crop establishment and harvesting
• Selecting different crop varieties and modifying pesticide programmes
• Investing in irrigation equipment and water storage facilities
• Improving soil drainage and increased use of soil conditioning equipment
• Changing enterprise mix
• Changing timing of lambing/calving/housing and turnout of livestock
• Increased provision of shelter for grazing livestock
• Investing in more robust, better ventilated buildings
• Becoming less reliant on grass silage for winter fodder
• Increasing use of risk management techniques
• Investigate drought resistant varieties of crops or alternative livestock breeds
• Consider planting shade belts to protect livestock
• Join or initiate an abstractor group to facilitate liaison with regulators, or look into other collaborative approaches to share resources
• Ensure buildings are maintained and prepared for more stormy weather
• Consider adjusting growing practices to take account of more winter soil erosion events
• Extreme events may lead to more yield variability increasing the need to plan, extend the range of crops and potentially increase ‘speculative’ planting (in the hope there could be a ‘good’ year for a particular crop)
• Collect excess rainwater for use in drought periods
• Consider the advantages of longer growing seasons for double-cropping or using a greater number of varieties
• Consider investigating greater crop rotation and using field margins to encourage pest predators

There is more information on adapting to climate change in the related links section on the right of this page.