After three weeks of dry weather, I had assumed that the remaining winter ground would be well fit to sow, and in the back of my mind was the possibility of moving onto the postponed gluten-free oats.

In fact, my optimism was misplaced. The last week of cold hard frosts may have dried everything out, but it also left the land untillable.

The last field intended for wheat was ploughed up in what looked to be an ideal state, but the frozen clods would not break down to give a remotely workable tilth. So, after a trial run of the power harrow, we reluctantly left it.

The storm and rain over the weekend have set us and soil conditions back, and while it’s early days in the new year yet, we saw last year how late February and March were write-offs as regards field work.

The delay contributed to reduced yields, and in the case of malting barley, reduced quality and a high rate of rejection. We can only wait and be ready to go if we get a chance.

On the cattle side, we are now preparing to get a reasonable amount of slurry out on the dry ground. The aim is to relieve the storage pressure in the slatted tanks, but also to get the nutrients out when they are most effective.

The shaft of our slurry agitator needs replacing and, perhaps because it’s an old model, it’s taking longer to source than I had expected. However, hopefully we will be up and spreading within a few days.

Equipment

Meanwhile, in a continuation of replacing and renewing outdated or worn-out equipment, we have replaced the weighing cells on our cattle scales.

The intention now is to update our weighing process and to link in with the ICBF database, so that we can track the beef value of the dairy beef crosses we are buying in.

I am still not clear why it is taking so long to have the commercial beef value (CBV) displayed on the mart boards or freely available to buyers in private sales.

I realise I can pay for individual genotypes at a cost of €24 per head – why it is subsidised to some categories of farmers where only €4 is charged escapes me, but that is for another day.