Leasing and Tax-free income: I spoke to an accountant during the week, who has completed more long-term leases this year than he has for the last five years. Essentially, he feels farmers taking on the lease and those leasing now see the benefit for both parties in leasing long term, as opposed to on a year-to-year basis.

The farmer taking on the lease has certainty in what land is available, and he can invest to improve pH and soil fertility in the full knowledge that he will get the return for a number of years if he makes that investment. Whereas, the person leasing the land knows the income is tax free (up to a threshold) and there is less hassle, on a year-to-year basis, finding a tenant and arranging the payment schedule, etc.

Remember, for joint ownership you can achieve double the tax-free income that a single owner can achieve. It must be a long-term lease of five years plus, and the lease must be in writing and must be approved by Revenue.

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The leases are fairly standard, and there are plenty of lease templates from farm organisations, Teagasc or solicitors if you need.

Bord Bia inspections: I got a call from a farmer this week who said it was worth reminding farmers that when completing medical records for the Bord Bia Dairy Quality Assurance Scheme you need to list out all the individual treatments, rather than bulking them together.

For example, one farmer had written down the particular mastitis treatment and included the line three treatment per quarter after listing the product. This is not enough, and each time a cow is treated you need to complete a separate line for that treatment.

Grazing forage crops: Many farmers are starting to graze fodder beet or kale, and it has already become very wet. Make sure you keep stock near the crop and don’t allow them to walk back over grazed areas. With fodder beet, some farmers will pull a few beet, bring it up to the field or yard now and get the heifers or bullocks eating it before they go to the field. The same applies for kale and rape to get them used to it.

It will take a few days to get the cattle grazing beet. Some farmers take a spade and split it down the middle at the start to get the cattle started. You might have to do this for a few days, just so the cattle know what to do. Some even sprinkle a little meal on the beet to get the cattle interested.

Building: I know a number of farmers who have postponed building an extension on their parlours, on back of the delay in TAMS 2 applications. Given the fact farmers won’t know whether they are successful or not until January, I think it is a wise move to postpone. The cost of a building can increase substantially if ground works are completed in the wet. Don’t rush large cap ex investments.