The rain showers that arrived over the last week or so were very welcome at the time, but for now, I have had enough of it and a dry settled spell won’t go astray, as I would like to get started on this year’s silage.

In the last number of years, I would have nearly had all my silage requirements saved at this time. It has already been delayed due to the poor growth during April and early May, and if I delay cutting much longer, the quality will be lower than I would like.

I plan on doing pit silage again this year, after returning to it last year. I have also learned that the ewes will consume a lot more pit silage, due to the better, shorter length compared to chopped bales. With this in mind, I will need to make some additional bales to give me an extra buffer if the ewes have to be housed earlier due to weather conditions.

Making bales reduces the need to top fields, as we move into the heading out period for grass and maintain grass quality going forward

Grass is finally starting to grow at pace now on the farm, growing at 97kg DM/ha with a demand of 64kg DM/ha and there are 18 days grazing ahead at the moment. With this in mind, I will drop out a few of the paddocks with heavy covers to make high-quality bales.

Making bales reduces the need to top fields, as we move into the heading out period for grass and maintain grass quality going forward.

We have also gotten the redstart planted here in the last week. This crop is essentially fulfilling two roles. Firstly, it is providing a break in the tillage rotation and secondly, it provides a high-quality feed source for finishing lambs without meal, should we encounter a drought later in the summer and due to its ability to regrow if managed properly, a winter feed for the ewes after the lambs have been finished.

I have applied Clik Extra to the lambs over the last number of weeks to prevent any cases of blowfly strike – any lambs that are close to being fit for the factory in the next month were left untreated, as the withdrawal for this product is 40 days.

I am trying to get back in the good books after getting a little to close to a wall in the garden with the tractor loader, leaving behind irreparable cracks

I have used this product for the last few years and have been delighted at how it works, as it gives 19 weeks cover against blowfly strike, so with any luck, I won’t have to treat lambs again during the summer this year. Another major benefit is that you are treating the lambs at a lighter weight, so less product is needed and therefore it reduces the overall cost of blowfly prevention.

I suppose, if I don’t get to cut silage this week, I may continue doing a few jobs for Alison around the garden. I am trying to get back in the good books after getting a little to close to a wall in the garden with the tractor loader, leaving behind irreparable cracks that mean having to get the whole section of wall rebuilt. How did what started out as one small job become such a task? Maybe I won’t be asked to do any gardening again.