The Driest Field on the Farm Questionnaire

We need your help. We are looking for several farmers across the UK to take part in a trial to help us to develop improved seed mixtures for drought tolerant forage. 

This summer’s record breaking heatwaves and drought has made many of us ask if the weather patterns that affect British farming are changing? Can we do anything to boost our resilience for future forage production?

The jury is still out on whether or not its prolonged heat or rainfall that we will battle next, however there does seem to be a consensus that our weather events are getting more extreme and less easy to predict, which has a massive effect on our ability to produce home grown forage.

At Cotswold Seeds we have been advising on drought tolerant mixes such as Herbal Leys for many years, but we want to further our research and take a fresh look at which forage species cope best with these changing conditions in order to create a variety of trial forage seed mixtures. To start with we aim to look at the grasses, legumes and herbs that show the most reliable drought tolerance.

We are looking to work with several farmers in different locations, who, in a typical year, find they suffer in dry conditions that result in a drop in forage production. Hence the title of this project - The Driest Field on the Farm.

If you are interested in joining this trial, please follow the link below and fill in the questionnaire. Our team will then select a number of participants to start building an entirely bespoke seed mixture to best suit your location, soil type and farm system. 

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK HERE TO FILL OUT THE QUESTIONNAIRE:  Questionnaire

Weather permitting, we are aiming to get these mixes sown this autumn.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sam Lane, Head of Seeds & Technical.

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Author: Fiona Mountain
Date Posted: 17th August 2026