Late cold spell - The effects

[Summer Sun]

Please use this thread to discuss the affects this late cold is having on you whether that be your livestock if your a farmer or its affecting your business

[Methuselah]

Contraction in the Meat & Vegetables department?

[Average Joe]

I think it's an ongoing situation from April last year when the rain started, which doesn't seem to have stopped since. My family's land down in the West Country has been pretty much underwater the last 6 months or more, and there's no sign of it drying out anytime soon either. Massive effects on ability to graze cattle and/or grow crops.

[Purga]

Contraction in the Meat & Vegetables department?

You shouldn't wear your trousers so tight RP

[TonyH]

Daffs only just blooming, snowdrops still in bloom, very few buds opening or leaves unfurling, and bare hedgerows still. No migrants yet, usually heard a Chiffchaff by now. Not much bird song, no dawn chorus as yet. Grass not growing. Using too much oil for heating.

Edited March 25, 2013 by TonyH

[snowingtequila]

Talk of lambs dying as mentioned on the model thread is vastly exaggerated certainly in this area. Lambing hasn't really got going outside yet. We are behind in getting vegetable crops started, normally carrots, cabbages etc. would be sown outside by now but lots have had to be started under cover. Early potatoes have been planted but under bales of straw and deeper than usual to or prevent freezing. Nothing too serious yet, I prefer this to the drought last year and then a soak, I imagine things are worse where fields are waterlogged rather than under snow.

[Eugene]

Duncan the countryside being soaked and still flooded in areas is nothing to do with the current cold spell, the very wet spells that brought severe flooding in November and late December werent cold spells but mild atlantic wet spells, maybe a thread should be opened discussing the effects the mild atlantic driven spells have had on farmers businesses, the current cold spell has made the countryside more useable with muddy ground hardening up, this is good drying weather today with a very dry continental wind and spells of sunshine.

[Purga]

Talk of lambs dying as mentioned on the model thread is vastly exaggerated certainly in this area. Lambing hasn't really got going outside yet. We are behind in getting vegetable crops started, normally carrots, cabbages etc. would be sown outside by now but lots have had to be started under cover. Early potatoes have been planted but under bales of straw and deeper than usual to or prevent freezing. Nothing too serious yet, I prefer this to the drought last year and then a soak, I imagine things are worse where fields are waterlogged rather than under snow.

I agree and have farmed myself not on a big scale only 300 acres mixed agr / stock - there is a counter argument to the anti-cold weather poor little lambs brigade in an extract below

Dangers of a Mild Winter

It's easy to get emotive over the whole subject without thinking it through - Nature knows best in the long run and anyway there's nothing we can do about the weather except manage the way we handle its effects.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Purga

[TonyH]

Lambs dead and on the plate by Autumn anyway!

Or much sooner:

http://www.viva.org.uk/guides/animals/lambs.html

Edited March 25, 2013 by TonyH

[Purga]

A nascent channel low?

Oopps sorry wrong thread mods - please move or delete should be in model thread!

Edited March 25, 2013 by Purga

[Average Joe]

Duncan the countryside being soaked and still flooded in areas is nothing to do with the current cold spell, the very wet spells that brought severe flooding in November and late December werent cold spells but mild atlantic wet spells, maybe a thread should be opened discussing the effects the mild atlantic driven spells have had on farmers businesses, the current cold spell has made the countryside more useable with muddy ground hardening up, this is good drying weather today with a very dry continental wind and spells of sunshine.

Point taken though my comment was more on the extremes, so apologies for the misinterpretation. Not sure Dad would agree that his ground is more useable though I have to say. Not in the west country anyway.

[Weather-history]

The worst type of late cold spells are the ones that occurred after a period of mild weather when growth is advanced. This cold spell has just extended the suspended animation of vegetation.

[hillbilly]

food prices will rise no doubt,there have been plenty of late springs in the past am sure we will manage just depends how april and may pans out,we are due rain but we are also well overdue a very good summer and could soon be talking drought!

[Bottesford]

Yes I'd say last years spring did a lot of damage after a warm March then into soaking cold April & May until the good spell arrived.

Nothing has even begun growing yet - only things planted outside are garlic & winter veg I put in during autumn.

The waterlogging is an issue and yes even that wonderful white stuff adds to the problem as do low temperatures as nothing is evaporating.

One thing different to a winter cold spell is the daylight length - its lovely to see more of the snow true. Downside though as my curtains stay open longer which is letting the freezing wind in (I can feel it now as I type). Soon as the curtains shut it helps keep it warmer and the boiler gets the odd 15-20 min rest from time to time.

[Methuselah]

You shouldn't wear your trousers so tight RP

Well it bumped the thread...

[Snowman.]

The death of the 27 year old man....

Horrible I like snow but there is a limit.

[reef]

Theres an underlying theme at the moment from certain quarters that people shouldnt enjoy the current weather because of the effects it has. At the end of the day I dont subscribe to that. All weather types have negative effects in some way and its not fair to try and make people feel ashamed for enjoying a certain weather type. At the end of the day this is a weather enthusiast's forum so people's wishes for the weather they would prefer probably differ from 90% of the population.

There will be some negative effects from this late cold, but overall Im enjoying the fact it is different from the monotonous generally homogenous warm springs we've had during the last few years.

[keithlucky]

We diden"t need conformation just go outside http://t.co/rzhYmSHqZQ

[4wd]

The worst type of late cold spells are the ones that occurred after a period of mild weather when growth is advanced. This cold spell has just extended the suspended animation of vegetation.

This, we will eventually have a very nice spring with a tremendous surge of growth without much risk of damaging wintry periods.

Things are very late here with nothing blooming except snowdrops - and even the earliest daffodils at least two weeks off opening.

In some ways it is less significant here as there is never enough grass for grazing until the end of April anyway, so we always need ample feed to last into May.

The cold is almost as bad even in the south and west now where sheltered areas would normally be able to graze at least through the day from around mid-March.

It is not clear where animla feed can be magically acquired from considering the transport cost for bulky material.

Lambs dead and on the plate by Autumn anyway!

Or much sooner:

http://www.viva.org....mals/lambs.html

We can grow lambs in upland areas which can produce little else. and sheep do an invaluable maintenance role in our most cherished landscapes.

A good percentage of the meat is exported earning valuable currency.

If they were not farmed to be eaten they wouldn't be out there living to ripe old age in flowery meadows.

They simply would not exist at all - and many upland areas like Wensleydale and Swaledale would mostly run to ruined wasteland or perhaps be densely planted with conifers.

Sheep have played a role of great importance in the UK since time immemorial and were the foundation of national wealth through the middle ages.

[Gary_R_Walker]

You make some excellent points in your post, but your "foundation of national wealth through the middle ages" comment should really say "the foundation of the Barons wealth through the middle-ages." A minor detail I know.

[Purga]

You make some excellent points in your post, but your "foundation of national wealth through the middle ages" comment should really say "the foundation of the Barons wealth through the middle-ages." A minor detail I know.

Keep the red flag flying comrade!

[Methuselah]

You make some excellent points in your post, but your "foundation of national wealth through the middle ages" comment should really say "the foundation of the Barons wealth through the middle-ages." A minor detail I know.

You obviously haven't read Osborne's famous treatise: Trickle Down Economics and The Systematic Starvation of The Peasantry, then??

[Rainy]

Sheep do rid the land of "weeds" and thus put a stress on species diversity. Fields turned to billiard tables.

Talking of which, the pastures were showing a bit of greening until this current cold blast. All now gone khaki coloured which the old folks used to describe as "aste". Perhaps a corruption of east, since it's usually these cold east winds which cause the damage.

Curlews and lapwings were calling around the meadows until this week. Saw one curlew very briefly yesterday.

All gone away somewhere.

Snowdrops have given up and had a mass shrivel and death in the last 2 days. Normally they wouldn't all go at once like this.

.

[Snowyowl9]

The snowcover will protect the grass so it will grow where thick snowcover,although I doubt it as these bitter feb 1985 style east winds and unbelieable drifting which is scalping bare patches on so fields(after 1 foot of snow)for the 2nd half of march,and 20foot drifts max this is crazy stuff,even had an small avalanche from the massive overhanging drifts.

Yes basically this is going to effect this spring like no other anyone has seen.

Only 2 inches on low ground,we`re still blocked in for 3rd day in a row.

This will effect the farmers and growers big time.

[Gary_R_Walker]

You obviously haven't read Osborne's famous treatise: Trickle Down Economics and The Systematic Starvation of The Peasantry, then??

That's on my to read list. Number 473.