A grand oul stretch in the evenings

The majority of farmers will be glad to see the end of the wet and cold month that was March. Of course, for dairy farmers with the introduction of April came the cessation of the milk quota. Hopefully the future for Irish milk production will be as bright as the first week minus quota constraints.

With the turn of the month came a surge in ploughs, slurry tanks and fertiliser spreaders in fields nationwide. More importantly, financially anyway, there has been an increase in cattle numbers at grass. The weather of the first weekend of April was so exceptional that I even received a picture of an advantageous farmer mowing his first cut of silage!

This week at home was hectic. During the week, time is a limiting factor for a part-time farmer. The clock change has been a boost – as the longer evenings set in, more work can be done. People are saying ‘Tis a grand oul stretch’ in their sleep at this stage and it’s the foundations of many conversations and the platform to get work done on the farm.

We sold a small number of animals this week and we were happy with our business. I analysed the animals’ average daily gain (ADG) during their time on the farm. The animals fell into a couple of different categories, unfortunately, so there is no strength in numbers.

One animal we sold was a Belgian blue heifer; her ADG was 0.7kg/day while on the farm. The other animals sold were slightly below but they were genetically inferior animals. We examined production costs of the animals that were sold and in the end were happy with the result. We feel we will improve the ADG of animals on our farm when the benefits of grassland management are seen during the grazing season. This is a work in progress with plans for reseeding over the coming years.

The silage ground was grazed by the beginning of April. We took a chance with the weather and were lucky that the heifers didn’t damage the ground, which would have a negative impact on grass growth. When weather conditions allow during the next week, slurry will be spread on the silage ground.

Soon after we will apply chemical fertiliser with a target cut date the last week of May.

Our annual herd test took place this week. For the non-farming folk, all cattle herds are required to be tested for Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) at least once every 12 months. The test is carried out by the local vet. The neck is shaved and the animals are challenged with an antigen from bovine TB and one from avian TB.

Three days later the vet calls back to examine the neck checking for bumps. A bump for the site of the avian injection is ok. A reaction to the bovine injection results in an inconclusive test and requires a second test.

One test will do just fine, please and thanks!