Farmer diversifying amid climate change pressures

Over the years, Andy Owens has seen the pressures of climate change on his family mixed farm.

He says that their land in Marden, Herefordshire, flooded "maybe twice a year" when he was growing up.

"[But] every winter now, we're counting flooding six or seven times," he told the BBC.

"We're just struggling to farm it."

In previous years, even the farmyard has flooded, putting sheep at risk, and leaving workers having to pull lambs and ewes from floodwater.

And then there's the other end of the oscillating weather system - drought. It has also caused significant problems for the farm.

Owens said that in 2025, the farm only saw 40ml of rain from the end of March to the beginning of September.

"So this land just burnt off and looked more reminiscent of the African savanna," he said.

The farm's sheep are having to be moved around the site because of drought, as well as the flooding, which Owens says is not practical or feasible.

And with the pressures come financial cost. And thoughts of what to do about it.

Last year, drought had a significant impact on the farm's output, with it only producing approximately 30% of the hay and silage it needed for the winter.

This meant the farm had to buy in what it needed from south Wales.

However, Owens, a member of the Britain's Got Talent-winning farmers choir, has managed to diversify the farm, helping it to survive in the challenging economic climate.

He managed to do this with a pumpkin patch, with the income covering the costs of the hay and silage he needed to buy.

"What we thought would be a little earner has become quite an important part of our business," he said.

"The income the pumpkin patch generated allowed us to keep going as a commercial farm."

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