Farm Diary by Gwyn Jones
Whilst other parts of the country have had some rain, the south east is still basking in summer sunshine, and very warm temperatures. April has been the warmest on record, and some rain is badly needed as we run into May.
Growth is affected at Tillington on the sand, but at Crouchlands on the heavy weald, it has been the best spring ever, with plenty of grass, and silage fields with more growth than we would normally have at the end of April.
We will start drilling the maize this week, having waited for the soil to warm up properly, and for some rain to at least appear on the radar. It is quite incredible to experience such warm weather so early in the season; but it has happened before.
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Hide AdA recent paper in the Royal Meteorological Society's journal 'Weather', reports of dry spells which came during a period called the 'long drought', which lasted twenty years up to 1910.
For full feature see West Sussex Gazette May 2