Spring may have officially arrived, but it certainly doesn't look or feel like it here in Sligo for the past week. Ground conditions are very poor, with occasional snowfalls not helping the situation.

Looking at the weather data from the local weather station at Markree in Sligo, it shows that since 1 August last year, we have had an average rainfall of 145mm/month.

Compare this to the same months in 2016/2017 and the records show an increase in rainfall of 67mm/month on average. That’s an increase of 86% when comparing the two years.

Fertiliser

At our first knowledge transfer meeting of the year, we discussed fertiliser applications and compared how many members had spread urea this year compared to the same point in 2016.

The answer was none this year, compared to 30% of the group in 2016.

Farmers are always required to be flexible in decision-making, but very often how we farm is dictated by conditions outside our control. There is nothing we can do about the weather except be as prepared as possible and hope for the best.

Physical and financial performance

Hopefully, most farmers have managed to complete a review of the year 2017, both in terms of physical performance and financial performance of the farm.

The physical performance will have a big bearing on the financial performance, however many physical measurements such as soil fertility, animal weight gain, health and fertility of the herd will not be reflected in the financial performance straight away.

Indeed, changes required at farm level may have a negative impact on the financial performance in the first year or two of a farm plan, but will result in a better overall performance over three to five years of that plan.

Take soil fertility for example; with the increased amounts of rainfall we are getting, soils are losing lime more rapidly. While the initial cost involved in correcting a soil pH will impact on the financials in year one, the long-term benefit will be seen in the years following, through better fertiliser utilisation and, therefore, an improvement in the physical and financial performance of the farm.

Three things

When reviewing last year’s performance, pick three things that require improvement on this year and plan how to achieve these improvements.

Spring calving is commencing on many suckler farms and there will be many hard luck stories, good luck stories and plain bad luck beyond our control.

“Control the controllables” is a sporting phrase that will be used in many changing rooms over the spring and into summer and it can certainly be applied to a farming setting.

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