It will be a weekend of mixed weather, according to Met Éireann. Saturday morning will be dry and bright in most areas. However, rain will develop in the southwest at the end of the morning and spread northeastwards to all areas through the afternoon. The rain will be heaviest in Munster and Leinster. Highest temperatures of 10°C to 12°C with moderate to fresh south or southeast winds.

It will become milder on Saturday night and outbreaks of rain will mainly affect south and west coasts.

Sunday will be a mainly cloudy day with just a few bright spells. West and south coasts will see continuing outbreaks of rain. It will be mild and breezy, with highest temperatures of 12°C or 13°C in a freshening southerly wind.

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Sunday night will also be quite wet with heavy rain for a time, especially on Atlantic coasts.

With ground conditions improving in many areas due to drier conditions, weather permitting, now might be a good time to start allowing autumn-born calves to creep-graze outside from sheds. For more beef management tips from livestock specialist Nathan Tuffy, click here.

Dairy specialist Aidan Brennan writes that it is still too early for spring calving: "The research on optimum calving date is clear – mean calving date (the average calving date for your herd) should be around 14 February and a week later if stocking rate is higher or soil type is heavier." Click here for other management tips from Aidan this week.

In sheep management notes for this week, among other tips, sheep expert Darren Carty advises that bedding may need to be cleaned prior to lambing due to ewes being housed earlier this year as a result of the recent spate of bad weather.

And tillage editor Andy Doyle writes that there is no joy in planting poor acres that will not wash their face in the current price scenario. "Let common sense prevail and drop out poor patches in fields or even some poor fields to help farm profit," says Andy.