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Making the most of summer rainfall

Farmers on light well drained soils are having problems that are becoming all too familiar - a dry period just when their grass, and other crops, need rain. Grassland is already beginning to dry up. The temptation is to think there is nothing possibly that can be done, yet this is not really true. For one thing is certain - at some point in the future the rain will return, but when, and for how long, nobody can say.

Preparing grassland so it makes the most of every drop that falls is something which farmers in really dry parts of the world, like Texas, have to do on a regular basis.

It was a Texas company, Aerway, which had a thumbnail ad in Successful Farming that inspired me to build a aerator, back in 1989, and the simple machine proved itself season after season. In Wales we tend to think only of getting rid of water, not conserving it, yet, as this present dry spell shows, both are needed. And the interesting thing is that this machine does, of course, help disperse excess rainwater to plant roots, where it does the most good.

See details in Farm Ideas Vol 1, #1 copies available

Aerating when the ground is dry makes sense because the slits have porous sides. In damp conditions the spikes go in a further distance but the holes have smeared sides, and so are unable to transmit rainfall as well. In dry conditions the slits may be no more than 3 - 4 ins deep, but they work well.

Looking at the picture of my aerator, it looks pretty crude in comparison to the new ones out from Glenside. Just 8ft wide it needs patience in a large field. The bigger Glenside models reach 24ft, but have basically the same design. There's some design work left to do, and I invite all who are interested to get in touch.

As readers might know, the soil aerating machine is very much a hobby horse of mine. It's so simple and yet will make a real contribution to grass production. increasing the soil's ability to absorb rain water has further advantages. More will find its way into underground aquifers, the source of our water suppliers. Less rainwater is lost through run-off. This is the cause of ditches and rivers to over fill in heavy rain. From my own experience, there are few disadvantages. Fields take longer to dry out after heavy rain, and on one occasion I had to delay ploughing a week as the tractor was going all over the place. Small sacrifice for a 20%increase in grass production!