Country diary: Hay stocks are running low - this is the long tail of last year's drought | Nicola Chester

Inkpen, Berkshire: We're paying the price now for a poor grass harvest, and the concern is isn't a one-off bad yearAt this point in the year, when the growing season seems so far away, last summer's hay harvest is most remembered, sometimes rued. The hottest summer followed the driest spring in over 100 years in southern England. And although making hay while the sun shines is genuinely crucial, rain is critical to growth. Last year produced a very poor harvest, and hay is now running out.Traditionally, two cuts are made, in late spring and summer, doubling the yield. It's an ancient, ingenious and hopeful system, and in the case of meadow hay (rather than single-species ryegrass) it benefits nature, removing nutrient?laden grass and encouraging biodiversity. But long-term studies show that as our weather patterns change, grass-growing potential has declined greatly over the last 80 years. Continue reading...