The recent rain has been a welcome sight here as many of the drier fields had started to suffer badly with little or no growth in the past few weeks.

Grass growth has jumped significantly to 61kg dry matter per hectare per day in the last week, leaving an average farm cover of 922kg DM/ha. Some more lambs have also been drafted off the red clover last week, with more to go later this week. I have been very happy with their performance so far, with an average daily liveweight gain of 250g and a killout percentage of 48%. It is more impressive than my brief appearance in the Kube last weekend, which saw me depart the competition after my second game.

In a new departure on the farm, I have joined with Sheep Ireland to take part in the central progeny test (CPT). It is focused on identifying our best sheep genetics regardless of breed. The CPT provides the basis for assessing a large number of rams, and linking this information to an even wider number of animals through that breed’s pedigree history. Genetic links between breeds and breeding groups are critical elements to any genetic evaluation programme. Without genetic linkage, the performance of different groups of sheep could not be fairly evaluated. The intention of the CPT is to evaluate as many new sires as possible annually, while genetically linking new bloodlines and strengthening existing ones as much as possible throughout Ireland.

We have selected 250 ewes to take part. They will be inseminated by laparoscopic AI, also known as intrauterine. This bypasses the cervix and deposits semen directly into the uterine horns.

LAI is a minor surgical procedure that requires veterinary expertise. The procedure takes two to five minutes per ewe. After the procedure is over, the ewe normally starts eating within minutes. Conception rates range from 75% to 95% with laparoscopic AI.

It will be interesting to watch the two forms of breeding run side by side on the farm and monitor the results. I have always bred sheep directly from the ram, so I am curious to see how the sheep get on and how well their progeny will develop.

It is that time of the year again as the National Ploughing Championships are upon us. I am looking forward to it but I might need to invest in another pair of wellies. I went to put on my boots to go outside earlier only to find them half full with water. Apparently to a two-year-old they are better water containers than any bucket I might have on the farm, and Drew takes great pleasure in using his own wellies to fill mine.