Farm Diary by Gwyn Jones

We have been making more grass silage this week; 80 acres in fact. That brings the total acreage baled (with additive) in the last three weeks to around 300, and it has filled the hole in the clamp very well. Silage making in November on Weald clay is remarkable, but nature has an amazing way of bringing itself back into balance. Well it does in this country, but when my friend Frank Tyndall tells me that drought has locked in across Australia, with the driest October since 1914, crops failing everywhere, animals being destroyed due to shortage of food; things are grim indeed over there.

With the hottest summer months still to come, and irrigation cut back in some areas by 50 per cent, it is difficult to see how things are going to improve. This is very bad news indeed for dairy farmers in Australia, and they are not alone. The changes in the weather pattern will mean that water, drought, and availability of grassland will play a major part in world production of milk and dairy products.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette November 8