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 shelter or 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