Farmer crowdfunds to feed livestock in dry weather

Cameron Farquharson is a tenant farmer running a small farm of sheep and Highland cattle

A farmer has resorted to crowdfunding because low rainfall has resulted in there not being enough grass for his livestock to feed on.

Cameron Farquharson, a tenant farmer running a small farm of sheep and Highland cattle in Dorset, posted an emotional video on social media in which he called the situation "dire" and "demoralising".

Mr Farquharson said the last time the farm had significant rainfall was in February.

Provisional statistics from the Met Office suggest the UK has "almost certainly" had its hottest summer on record.

There have been four heatwaves in 2025, with the UK having had about 72% of its average summer rainfall so far.

Mr Farquharson said the "terrible dry months" were taking their toll on the farm.

He told the BBC he was currently taking 14,000 litres of water up to his animals every day, and that the spring on the land dried up 12 weeks ago.

He is also feeding them about one tonne of haylage each day at a cost of more than £1,000 a week.

The animals normally eat grass through the summer until December, and the winter feed has been used up.

The farm also makes extra money via campers, and from families getting up close with the livestock, but this year the extra income is not enough.

Mr Farquharson said the last time the farm had significant rainfall was in February.

Wiping away tears in the video, he said: "There's only so much you can do.

"I'm finding it hard… but you do the best for your animals don't you? That's what I'm doing."

Filming the parched fields, he explained: "This should be up to my ankles in grass but as you can see we've got nothing at all. Not one bit of grass."

Mr Farquharson, who has raised more than £2,000 since setting up his fundraiser on Friday, signed off his video by saying: "Mother Nature can be cruel and we have to work with her.

"Support your local farmer because by God we need help."

Earlier this month Rachel Hallos, National Farmers Union vice president, said many livestock farmers were "already tapping into winter feed stocks, raising the risk of higher production costs".

She said: "To avoid the swing between extreme drought and flooding and to secure water supplies for food production, we urgently need investment in water infrastructure and a more effective planning system."

Water Minister Emma Hardy said: "The government is urgently stepping up its response to ensure we are successfully managing the impacts of ongoing dry weather."