GREAT WALTHAM, ENGLAND – With Britain about to record its hottest summer yet, Sam Squier’s nearly 81-hectare beef farm in southeastern England stands out as a lush, green oasis surrounded by scorched brown fields. As neighboring farmers have resorted to using winter feed, Squier’s herd of Aberdeen Angus feeds on dense pasture maintained by planting that has retained water and improved soil quality. His cattle, which carry genetic traits from Japanese wagyu that are renowned for producing tender beef, graze on a mix of grasses, deep-rooting herbs and legumes, known as herbal leys.
The method is inspired by ancient practices and reflects decadeslong efforts to introduce climate-resilient farming as governments and regulators across the world have sought to make supply chains less vulnerable. After years of intensive agriculture that was designed to feed the maximum number of people most cost-effectively, this year’s extreme weather has added urgency to the debate over whether climate change has transformed the economics. According to interviews for this story with more than 25 people engaged on the issue, banks, insurance groups, water companies, governments and major food groups such as McDonald’s are funding a shift in farming practices.
Meteorologists have said they expect to declare Britain’s summer, which officially ends on Aug. 31, the hottest yet and Europe as a whole has this year experienced more extreme warming than any other continent with five heat waves and far below average rainfall. After its hottest June and driest July on record, almost three-quarters of England is officially in drought. Livestock and dairy farmers have reported poor grass growth, the U.K.’s cereal harvest is set to be the worst since comparable records began in 1984, and fruit and vegetable growers have said production will be reduced, echoing warnings from across Europe.
The losses for farmers in the European Union and Britain from failed crops in the June heat wave could be up to €2.3 billion ($2.7 billion), according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. There are knock-on effects for inflation, which has already been driven higher by the increased energy and fertilizer costs linked to war in the Middle East. By contrast, with the arid land all around, the herbal leys in some of Squier’s fields, near Chelmsford, stand over knee height even after two months without rain, and without the use of irrigation.
The grasses provide energy-rich feed, the nutrient-enhancing herbs help to control parasites and reduce the need for medication, while the legumes fix nitrogen in the soil, removing the need for artificial fertilizers. The cows are concentrated in a small area where they graze and trample the vegetation and are moved twice a day. They create a protective layer over the soil and their manure helps return seed to the ground, boosting soil health and water retention.
Squier has not needed to buy winter feed for eight years. He estimates the soil holds around 400,000 liters more water per acre than before he adopted regenerative farming. In the first six years after the switch, estimated earthworm numbers rose from 80 million to 680 million.
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