Adverse Weather Conditions Testing Out Agriculture's Land Drainage to the Full

Online, October 29, 2012 (Newswire.com) - There's no doubting that this year has been a difficult one for all those working in agriculture in the UK. Their patience and land drainage has certainly been tested by Mother Nature with one of the driest winters resulting in hosepipe bans, followed by the second wettest June recorded in history. As you can probably imagine this vast change in the weather conditions has caused havoc for those looking to successfully grow crops and harvest them in order to make a profit and keep their business running.

Unfortunately for many of those working in agriculture, the inclement weather conditions have only highlighted any land drainage issues in their fields, the rainfall leaving an abundance of standing water in its wake. Those not in the agricultural industry may be unaware of the problems poor land drainage causes but it really can hugely impact a crop's yield, leaving farmers struggling to make a profit at the end of the season. This is due to the restriction of nutrients for crops, which stunts growth and means that crops do not develop as well as they should.

Other than reducing yield, there is an impact on the windows of opportunity for harvesting, spraying and other agricultural work. Tim Sisson, Managing Director at William Morfoot, experts in implementing land drainage systems in the agricultural industry based in Norfolk, has commented on the impact poor land drainage coupled with the disastrous weather conditions have had on the oilseed rape harvest this year. "Traditionally, growers look to spray off or swath the crop around two weeks before they want to harvest it, and they generally do this in early July. The weather conditions have meant that in many cases this wasn't done until even September. Some farmers have found it impossible to do so. The other issue is that with saturated land, farmers have to gamble, hoping that their heavy machinery won't get stuck in the ground. This year really has been a nightmare for some growers".

It is hoped that following this year, those working in agriculture will start to take land drainage more seriously, integrating it into their routine operations, rather than leaving it as an emergency afterthought when issues and difficulties appear. We unfortunately can't predict Mother Nature, and can't be sure about what cards will be dealt next year for the farming industry.

To read more about land drainage and what services are in offer visit William Morfoot's website.

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