Extreme heat 'the new normal' for Cambridgeshire farmer as drought continues
He's expecting to see crop yields drop as a result
A farmer near Peterborough said it's tough to get rid of anxiety he's living with after weeks of hot, dry weather.
Tom Martin is expecting to see business drop as crop yields fall because of the extreme heat the country has faced this summer.
"This clearly isn't a blip, this is the new normal and we've got to expect extreme weather," he said.
"We're trying to increase the health of our soils so the water is held better by our soil so our plants stay greener for longer and less susceptible to fire and they yield better.
"We'll look at growing different crops; we've got a few acres of sunflowers this year (that are) looking okay, buckwheat which produces flour is another crop we can grow that seems to do better in the hot weather."
'Changeable' weather on the way
Fresher conditions are expected this week, with rain and thunderstorms possible in some parts of the UK.
Tom Morgan, a Met Office meteorologist, said this week looks like "the most changeable week we've seen since the end of June."
A jet stream which has been far in the north of the UK has allowed high pressure to dominate, causing the recent excessively hot conditions, Mr Morgan said.
Mr Morgan added this stream would travel south, meaning that low pressure will dominate.
Tom is hopeful the changeable weather will give a brighter outlook to crops, but that won't make all his worries disappear.
"We will lose money this year, it's just how much money will we lose," he said.
"Nothing is growing; we should be planting our rapeseed in August, our barley in September, but that won't happen until there's any meaningful rainfall so that will clearly impact on our profitability.
"We've got good groups and communities who could help out if we need help; I don't know how you eliminate that anxiety and the worry we have as farmers."
Government backing
The Government has pledged to support farmers adapt to the extended dry weather thanks to £65 million in funding.
The money aims to help farmers get water to crops, keep livestock fed where grass has failed, and continue their environmental agreements without losing payments when drought makes agreed activity impossible.
Farmers will also be supported to build on-farm water storage, helping farms prepare for future dry summers, the Government said.
"The ability to grow our own food is national security, and I will treat it that way," Prime Minister Andy Burnham said.
"This is the third drought in five years; farmers are at the sharp end of a changing climate, and they should not be carrying that risk alone."
While farmers, growers and horticultural businesses across Cambridgeshire can also apply for grants of up to £50,000 thanks to a £1.3m Government grant scheme.
This scheme - delivered by Water Resources East - aims to improve water efficiency, strengthen resilience to drought and support sustainable food production.
'We've never seen anything like this before'
Tom - who's helped firefighters tackling a fire at Holme Fen Nature Reserve - said the country is in unprecedented territory because of the recent weather.
"We've never seen anything like this before," he added.
"We try and learn from our farming colleagues in Australia, the Mediterranean and America where they're used to drier weather; we as farmers, communities and wildlife are just not used to that dry weather.
"When you're on your own with a fire that's out of control, it's absolute abject terror.
"There's lots we can do, although when you've got fires nearby and the threat of an outbreak of fire in the harvest field, it feels nerve-racking and quite helpless."