Farmers used to say in like a lion, out like a lamb about the weather at this time of year.
Though this saying may be past its sell-by date with the strange seasons that we now have.
It is more common now to have below average temperatures and snow at the end of March and early April than it is throughout the normal winter months.
At the time of writing, we are experiencing bitingly cold easterly winds interspersed with snow showers.
Not the expected warmer climes of years gone by.
Just when cattle farmers think they are on the final leg of having to keep stock inside after another long, exhausting winter, it can be extremely infuriating to see that the weather forecast has metaphorically closed the door on any opportunity of cattle turnout.
Fingers crossed for a brighter forecast in the not too distant future.
Calving has not gone quite according to plan this season unfortunately, but it was in some respects inevitable as previously mentioned in my article last summer, our stock bull went badly lame and was unable to complete his duties.
Now the consequences of that are showing themselves.
With two-thirds of the cows now calved, we have had a lull in proceedings for two weeks.
For management purposes and for ones own sanity when you are in the zone, it is nice to circle the square within a relatively short time frame.
This year it is going to be slightly different.
So far, the calves that have been born are a very promising crop.
And with the ratio of more bull calves to heifer calves, it bodes well for future breeding bull sales in 2023.
Next
Attention will soon be turning to preparing for the next breeding season, with blood testing and vaccinations, and also we will be having the first part of our new six-monthly whole herd TB test at the end of April.
It is funny how things can come back to bite you, as we might well have escaped the new six-monthly TB testing regime if animal health had not dictated that we change our herd number when we moved to our current farm five years ago.
Even though we have had consecutive clear TB tests since we started the herd, the change of address, less than 20 miles apart, has triggered this new time scale of testing.
Infuriating bureaucracy, as is often the way.
By the time of my next article, hopefully spring will have sprung and the cattle will be happily grazing outside. Optimism is not a strong point of mine, so we will leave it there.
