THE year 2012 is one that Huddersfield’s agricultural community would rather forget.
The district’s farmers need no official confirmation that 2012 was the wettest year on record for Huddersfield – they already know.
Huddersfield weatherman Paul Stevens confirmed on New Year’s Eve that Huddersfield had almost double its usual rainfall last year amounting to 54ins, compared to an average 30ins. It was the wettest year since records began in 1923.
Although the wet weather produced huge quantities of grass locally, the seemingly-endless rain meant that it was either too wet to harvest and spoilt in the ground or, once gathered in, the moisture content was too high.
The result is that this year’s local supply of fodder for livestock – in the form of hay, haylage and silage – is very variable.
Honley-based NFU group secretary Robert Nobles (inset) said: “From a morale point of view, farmers don’t talk about this last year. We just want to put it behind us and look forward to 2013.
“The wet weather has had massive knock-on effects. Farmers are having to bolster poor quality livestock fodder with high-priced cereals and bought in feed.
“Not far from here in the north west the weather was so bad there are massive shortages of fodder.
“Another effect has been that certain jobs around the farm can only be done in fine weather, so the pressure was on farmers all summer. They had to get all the jobs done between the incessant rain.
“We have never had a summer like it, what with all the rain and the shows that had to be cancelled.”
The unpredictable weather has made financial budgeting even harder for Huddersfield’s farmers. Nine months ago there were concerns about the lack of animal fodder due to last winter’s dry conditions. This also pushed up their costs.
It is not just the farmers who have suffered. The extremely wet weather has made it an unpleasant year for animals.
Mr Nobles added: “The livestock have been miserable in the fields. They don’t like being out in this weather.
“The poor sheep have been soaked through and their fleece just doesn’t dry out quickly. Sheep love dry, cold weather. They didn’t enjoy being wet for long periods this year.”
Looking forward to 2013, he said: “
“First and foremost we just need 2013 to be a lot drier. Warm, dryish weather with April showers over spring and more sun in the summer would be good”.
