I wonder what it is like to be bored or have time on my hands. There is definitely no cabin fever here on the farm during this busy spring. All the suckler cows have calved and there are a few dairy cow stragglers remaining.

Silage fertiliser is out and there are lots of outdoor jobs going on, thank God. I was sick of being stuck in sheds foddering cows in March.

This week, another step toward milking on the out-farm was taken, with the purchase of another 21 crossbred maiden heifers. They hadn’t far to travel as they only made the short journey across the county bounds from Westmeath into Longford. They have matched in quite well with the current crop of 29 heifers that I purchased 12 months ago.

Weather

The weather has finally started to take up and it provides an excellent opportunity to carry out a range maintenance jobs around the farm. The last load of Friesian bulls will soon depart to the factory.

The autumn-calved suckler cows are all moved to the out farm along with their calves.

The next job to be completed will be the BEEP-S weighing and faecal egg count measures. I have selected the vaccination measure also as all calves get a pneumonia vaccine. This is a welcome top-up to the previous BEEP scheme, as the vaccination or meal feeding option and the faecal egg count test of cows exceed the value that the farmer will get from merely the extra scheme income.

As I type this article on Sunday afternoon, I am just after completing a grass walk and recording on Pasture Base Ireland. I have set Sunday as when I religiously measure grass, seeing as other religious activity is currently suspended.

Keeling's

I was amazed by the public reaction to Keeling’s bringing in Bulgarian workers, especially when their recruitment advertisement for native workers fell on deaf ears. I haven’t heard of any alternative suggestions for harvesting this year’s crop. It is pretty naïve to suggest that we stop workers coming and expect the crop to be harvested in some alternative way.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, the value that farming, in particular Irish farming, has on society is keenly felt. It is a pity, just like the horse meat scandal, that it takes something extreme, like the aforementioned, to encourage people to shop local and purchase quality. Even though agriculture will increase proportionally in emission output due to other sectors decreasing, I hasten to wonder would we see such stark environmental improvements if agriculture halted in its tracks for six weeks while transport and industry continued. I suspect not!