01/05/2026 Farmers hoping for rain, English council elections, hedgerows

Farmers are hoping that a dry April will be followed by a wet few weeks. Some parts of the country, notably in the East of England, have had between 2% and 4% of the expected rainfall last month. This feels a lot like last year when the dry spring led to a loss of yields and even failed crops and that hit the bottom lines of farming businesses. Some farmers are warning that without rain soon we could see the same again this year. Less than a week to go now before elections across the UK. We've talked about the issues rural voters in Wales and Scotland are considering as they vote for their national governments who control agricultural policy, today we're turning our attention to the council elections in England. We've been talking all week about agro-forestry: planting trees alongside crops or livestock grazing. Today we hear how hedgerows can benefit farms. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

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01/05/2026 Farmers hoping for rain, English council elections, hedgerows is an episode from Farming Today by BBC.

This episode is 13:53 long.

This episode was published on May 1, 2026.

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