FARMERS are being warned to plan for heavy rainfall as we head towards the winter months. 

The Environment Agency are warning farmers not to 'take chances' and 'gamble high risk crops' in Devon and Cornwall, as part of their Flood Action Week (October 14 to 20). They are worried about the impact heavy and prolonged rainfall is having on farmland, especially in areas with steep slopes.  

According to the Environment Agency, late harvesting of crops (such as maize) can leave bare compacted land, and heavy rain on this land can cause runoff which will erode soil, pollute watercourses and flood roads and neighbouring properties. 

James Wimpress, of the Environment Agency, said: “Farming is tough right now. A very wet year is already delaying harvest time for some farmers and making conditions for harvest very difficult. This will compound the problems winter brings. 

“The longer that harvest is delayed, the smaller the window is to plant any form of cover crop to bind the soil and reduce runoff and cultivate the ground to reduce compaction.  

“Winters are only going to get tougher with more rain for longer periods. This means more soil erosion, runoff, pollution and flooding, unless farming practices become more resilient.” 

The Environment Agency said that when soil becomes too wet and soft for heavy machinery to travel on, farmland is churned up with little opportunity to correct any problems by cultivating the ground to remove wheel marks and compaction. On well-draining soils, it is better to cultivate soils to remove compaction and leave the soil rough, rather than leaving a compacted stubble over winter.  

The agency has issued the following advice:

  • Avoid growing high-risk crops on fields which tend to be naturally wet where compaction is inevitable and difficult to remove late in the year.
  • Avoid using fields with erodible, sandy soils on steep slopes where runoff could wash onto neighbouring roads and communities. 
  • Avoid leaving compacted and bare soils over winter, cultivating and using cover crops after harvest where needed.
  • Assess soil condition to develop a long-term plan of improvement, such as increasing organic matter over time.
  • Plan future cropping to avoid high-risk situations and use any available funding from agri-environment schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Initiative.