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Episode details

Radio 4,07 Aug 2026,14 mins

07/08/2026 Resilient crops for a changing climate, planting in a drought, Sheeted Somerset cattle

Farming Today

Available for 29 days

In the light of this summer’s dismal harvest, we hear of work to make the UK’s arable crops more resilient in a changing climate. With the hot dry weather continuing in much of the country, not to mention the situation in the Strait of Hormuz making diesel and fertiliser prices volatile, some farmers are already scratching their heads about what best to grow for next year’s harvest. And a beautiful native breed cow, so rare it was declared extinct in the 1930s, now making a surprising comeback thanks to a farmer in Somerset’s Chew Valley. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

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