A Ravensden wheat farmer whose family has worked the land for more than 50 years is combining generational knowledge with modern soil science to save her farm.
The move comes after a scorching, dry summer put severe pressure on crops across Bedford Borough.
Claire Donkin, a wheat farmer and agronomist at Donkin Farm, reported a massive hit to her 2026 harvest.
Ms Donkin said: “The hot, dry weather has put our wheat under even more pressure and our yield is around 30% below what we would normally expect.”
Taking action
To combat the difficult conditions, Claire is trialling new agricultural measures.
These include planting cover crops, using legumes, reducing cultivation and introducing microbial soil testing.
The local farmer said: “When you have a year like this, it makes you think very hard about what you can do differently.”
Claire is one of 110 UK wheat farmers receiving support from pet care company Purina through the Landscape Enterprise Networks programme.
The national initiative helps farmers adopt practices that improve soil health, water management and biodiversity.
Seeing results
Claire is already seeing measurable benefits from using cover crops to protect the soil.
She explained, “Our cover crops are helping reduce the amount of nitrogen fertiliser we need, cutting costs and giving us an early measurable sign that some of the changes are working.”
While it does not offset the difficult summer, the farmer said it gives the business something positive to build on.
Claire Robinson-Davies, corporate affairs and sustainability director at Purina UK, stressed the importance of testing new approaches.
She added: “This is not about promising an instant answer to difficult weather.
“Claire Donkin’s experience shows both the scale of the challenge and why testing new approaches now to build future resilience is so important.”
While the agricultural changes are vast, Ms Donkin noted that the same broad principles used to rescue her farm can be applied by local people looking to save their own dry gardens and allotments.
Advice for local gardens
Claire stressed that soil is a “living resource that needs time and care,” not just a medium to hold plants upright.
She said: “In autumn, there can be a temptation to clear everything away and leave the ground bare.
“But fallen leaves, compost, plant roots and less-disturbed areas can all play a useful role in helping to keep the soil healthy into the following year”.
Here are her top five tips for Bedfordians this autumn:
- Compost suitable garden and food waste.
- Use fallen leaves to make leaf mould or mulch.
- Avoid unnecessary digging.
- Keep some plants or living roots in the ground over winter.
- Leave selected seed heads and stems as wildlife habitat.
Local support for these ecological methods is strong, with recent research showing 60% of people in the East of England support farmers planting cover crops to protect soil between harvests.
