Unusually dry spring weather is cutting crop yield prospects in the U.K.According to Clive Aslet, writing for The Telegraph, the lack of rain isdestroying crops and threatening a big rise in food prices. He says thatgrowers are being forced to irrigate lower-value crops such as winter wheat andbarley. Normally, watering would target sugar beets, vegetables and otherhigh-value produce.
In the English Midland, a farmer in Hertfordshire expects a 40 percent drop inyield for winter wheat, according to Aslet.
Spring-sown crops, being unable to properly establish their root systems, "havebeen decimated," the writer states.
A grower in Sussex says that, owing to drought, wheat is heading too early, onstraw that is much shorter than usual. Along with lowered yield of grain, thedrought-induced stunting raises the prospect of an animal bedding shortage,straw leftover from the harvest being needed for this purpose.
Summer heat in 2010 led to a shortage of animal bedding, so the ongoing droughtcould further tighten supply.
On a brighter note, Aslet was upbeat on prospects for orchard fruits andstrawberries, which benefit from warmth while suffering less from the dryness.
Google Maps image.Weather data, according to AccuWeather.com, show that the dearth of rainfallsince the first of March has been severe in much of England, especially in theMidland, the east and the south. Here, a wide area including greater London hashad an average of only about 25 to 30 percent of normal rainfall. Some spotshave had even less.
What is more, the driest areas have also been unusually warm, having averagetemperatures of about 4 to 6 degrees C above normal since the beginning ofMarch. Higher temperatures normally imply higher drying rates, a factor thatwould heighten the drought impact.
Looking forward, indications are that rainfall for the next one to two weekswill be below normal to perhaps near normal. Thus, prospects for a break in thedrought seem low at this time.
Story by Jim Andrews, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist
