With straw a good trade and with plenty of hay saved from grass paddocks that had got strong, I was feeling smug that I could sell all the straw – wheat, barley and oats – and use the hay as a source of fibre in the feeder. I was happy enough with the decision when my vet dropped into the yard to have his usual pre-winter visit to look at the beef bulls still on hand and the weanlings that had been bought in. He thought the weanlings were too loose – in other words a bit scoury – and asked me if they were getting enough good-quality straw. The end of a big bale we had was, as he rightly said, mediocre and not suitable. I told him about the hay and he tut-tutted. I then rang a cattle nutritionist and he was more forthright – no, hay could not replace the straw. There would be no rumen stimulation effect and I should go back to straw immediately. I went back to my customer who had all the wheaten straw stacked and ate humble pie as I negotiated to buy back my own straw.

Incidentally, on every motorway journey I have made, I have met lorries loaded with straw going north and west.

Meanwhile, most of the oilseed rape is coming up nicely. But once tilled we will have to plough up because of poor germination and re-seed, probably with winter barley. We also got a neighbour with a quad and spreader to apply the slug pellets. I used try and apply the slug pellets with the seed but with such a low seeding rate in oilseed rape, there always seemed to be some separation out, no matter how well they were mixed.

We are continuing to buy weanlings – with a determination to avoid the type of mediocre animal I wrote about last week. We have definitely upped the average quality but the price coming in is significantly above last year’s. We can only hope genetic superiority will compensate in having better weight gain and finish at an earlier age.