The shakiest branches are at the top of the tree. That is something I keep telling my children.

That is why I am usually reluctant to talk about when things are going well. I’m more likely to write about things that are going wrong but the last nine months have been so difficult. I have been reluctant to write at all.

Last June, July, and August was a full on drought and we had to spend nearly £100,000 on fodder for all the animals on the farm. I’m glad I didn’t break in to the winter supplies we had stored since those are going to be very useful now for what looks like an extended winter because I can’t see us going out to grass for another six weeks at least.

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We normally make 1,500t of silage but because previous floods and the drought had robbed us of reseeds we rented 200ac seven miles away.

These failed to yield as expected and only turned up 3.5t to the acre and since it comprised of one stem one leaf and one seed head rather than a stem and three leaves it was low in protein. This along with a large amount of maize silage we had delivered in has provided unsuitable ration resulting in milk urea levels of five rather than in the teens.

By increasing the protein content of the cake we have raised this up to 10 and although cows are coming bulling strongly many are requiring repeat services.

If it ain’t broke don’t mend it

Meanwhile, the next generation are asking if we should move to an all round calving herd rather than the existing spring and autumn batch calving. Possibly the motivation is to take pressure off the calf accommodation. I have found from experience to move a calving pattern successfully can take up to three years and by the time you get there the reasons and the milk price have changed.

There are obvious costs and hidden costs firstly the June, July, and August calvers from a ration point of view fit neither in the spring grass or winter ration groups. You are unlikely to shed them twice today to feed them with silage and if you do, it would have to be the more expensive wraps twice the price of clamp because you are not going to open the clamp and and spoil the face with limited use. So it’s likely that these cows will suffer a reduced yield.

Instead of spending three months twice a year checking on calving cows day and night you have to go out 365 days a year. This will become quite awesome. What works – works. As I said before if it ain’t broke don’t mend it.