Today is September 21st, the equinox, when those attached to the land reflect back on the season past and the season about to visit us. Treflach has no Stonehenge but the sunrise over Oswestry this morning and the sunset over Treflach Mountain this evening were quite magical yet grounding.
Treflach used to have 17 smallholding/farms and water was a scarce resource when there were no mains water piped in. If forage was short the long meadow was used and trees were pollarded for their leaves - especially elm which used to be abundant. Hedge growths were cut and carted however animal numbers were small back then and there was plenty of labour to help. An old riddle between two farmers proves my point - "If you gave me one of your cows I would have twice as many as you" to which the other smallholder said -" If you gave me one of your cows, we would both have the same number." (Answer at the end)
Treflach Hall is particularly dry and in the C19, had a number of tenants do midnight flits during dry times. This is because when the stream dried up the watermill which used to pump water into the pool in the farmyard became defunct. The pool was filled in when a spring was located, harnessed and then pumped by electricity in 1958. Grandad Steele paid for 3 phase electric poles brought all the way from Llnyclys for £7000, the cost of a farm in those days! Treflach Farm has a large pool that never goes dry and in 1936 a ram that pumped water up to the farm buildings was installed while the other 15 smallholdings had their own wells and springs.
I have recorded weather since 1983 so 1976 is just a memory. 1984, 1995 and 2022 are of note for being dry summers but in 2026 the leaves were dropping off trees and only 2mm of rain fell in July. Evaporation rates are even higher due to strong sun and wind.
Interestingly in February 2023 only 1mm rain fell followed by snow on March 6th, so technically a winter drought but it is the summer droughts that takes its toll on the environment. Water is the universal solvent and when it rains all nature celebrates. When dry nature shuts down and life becomes tougher for most - but not all as some wildlife do better in dry weather.
Of notice will be the loss of many trees due to drought stress. Disease will now take them as many young saplings will be unable to compete for resources. 2026 will go down as the greatest drought in living memory and despite the autumn rains making everywhere lush, a foot down it is still dry as a bone. Soil life has still yet to awaken from a 3 month sleep and the annual mellow fruitfulness of fungi yet to bless us.
A 7 cow and 5 cow herd is the answer - which would have kept two families in a good lifestyle back then!
A note from Ian @treflachfarm:
I haven't been farming as long as Andrew and so don't remember the impacts of as many droughts. However farmers are nothing if not resilient and resourceful; Bob Jones installing the hydram, Pop Steele installing 3 phase, Bob Steele upgrading the ram to electric and improving/extending the distribution network. For my part I have installed a bore hole, ground source heat pump, solar and battery storage so we can have pumped water throughout the driest times. However despite the unrelenting temperatures and lack of rainfall of 2026 Treflach Farm has thrived due not only to technology. Regenerative grazing practices have meant we have had plenty of grass (even if it was nerve wracking at the time) and in a positive situation as we head into autumn/winter. The image above is of a very dry Treflach Farm taken on 14th July - but can you see the strip of green? This is where a bale was unrolled for in-field winter feeding (called bale grazing). The resulting bio-mass has fed the soil. This increase is soil health is associated with micro organisms, invertebrates and small mammal life - all increasing pasture root depth, water retention and mineral availability resulting in improved growth even during a drought.