On the home front, cows are still going out days only, due to wet weather and lack of grass growth.

We are three quarters of the way through the spring-calving block and the winter ration, which included fodder beet for the first time, has put condition back on the milking herd to the point where cows have been going dry too fat.

Calved a bit thin

Unfortunately, due to the fodder shortage this winter, some of the heifers have calved in a bit thin.

Also, at the moment, we are going through another mastitis storm, mostly due the fact that the new-build cubicle shed wasn’t started and completed by last September as planned, but is now due to start building in May.

Hopefully, next winter should be a lot easier. We are still trying to decide between sand or straw on the cubicle beds.

The potential for improvement in grass utilisation in this country is awesome

I went to the local discussion group for the annual silage competition and a talk given by a seed agent. He started the talk by stating “the potential for improvement in grass utilisation in this country is awesome”.

He warned that seed companies will produce varieties that will yield prodigiously in the first year, but he was more interested in the yields in the third year.

Farmers were now planting more mixed swards and, given the choice, cows would prefer meadow fescue or ryegrass.

Some farmers are using chicory and plantains to good effect.

AD plants

When questioned about AD plants competing for forage crops, he stated that tariffs were being reduced to the point where some AD plants that had planning permission were not being built and existing ones were offering less money to farmers for forage crops.

Fortunately, AD plants cannot utilise grass, but are ideally situated on farms as they can use slurry.

Brexit bus battles on

The Brexit bus battles on on its perilous journey. The situation is changing so rapidly by the hour that anything written here will be out of date by the time it is published.

The current situation is demonstrating every possible flaw in our once-great democratic system.

It’s as if the bus driver (ie the cabinet) no longer has control of the steering wheel and the passengers (ie the MPs from all parties) are trying to grab the steering wheel and change direction.

A vehicle driven by its unqualified passengers is doomed to failure.

He assured me from the outset that the Irish border with modern technology would not be a problem

I have a friend who appears to be well informed on all matters associated with Brexit.

He assured me from the outset that the Irish border with modern technology would not be a problem and was possibly a red herring to attract the attention of outraged politicians.

I said to him the other day that now Honda is closing car production in Swindon and moving it back to Japan, the 3,000 workers losing their jobs, if voting again, would now vote for Remain.

He said that Honda have now closed a deal with the EU which gives them access to the EU market for cars produced in Japan and that this deal was initiated even before the Brexit referendum.

But, I would argue, they probably saw it coming.

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