Seed: There are reports that some varieties of grass and clover, particularly red clover seeds, are going to be scarce. Farmers planning to do a lot of reseeding next spring who are hoping to sow red clover should be talking to their merchant well in advance to secure delivery of good varieties. Red clover seeds were scarce last year too and a lot of Eastern European seeds were used. While it’s still too early to determine how they’re faring, you should really only be using red clover varieties that have been on a recommended list in either Ireland or the UK. There is huge interest in red clover for its ability to fix high rates of atmospheric nitrogen to soil, its high growth rates and suitability for silage.

However, it’s not an easy crop to manage, with some farmers not getting the results they expected but that could be down to sowing rates, timing etc. Spring sowing is definitely much better than autumn sowing. There is also big interest in sowing some red clover with a white clover and perennial ryegrass sward, as it is said to fix nitrogen in the year that it is sown. Hybrid red clover varieties are also available and these may be better in this regard. Ultimately, red clover doesn’t survive long in grazing mixtures, but it can provide good feed and fix nitrogen in the first year or so.

Accounts: While a financial analysis for most dairy farmers will record 2022 as being a very good year, there continues to be uncertainty over what this coming year will bring.

There are many reasons to be optimistic – starting the year at a high base milk price, many farmers have forward bought and paid for fertiliser, settled and mature herds are performing well, etc. Although the indications are that milk price could soften a bit over the coming months, the experts are still suggesting that milk price in 2023 will be historically high. That said, it’s hugely important that farmers carry out a financial budget for the year.

This will give farmers line of sight of any pinch points for cash flow and they’ll be quicker to adapt in the event of any issues such as weather, TB, prices, etc. It’s particularly important for those planning projects out of cash flow.

Get all of your 2022 financial data wrapped up over the next few weeks before calving starts. Fill in profit monitor data and get all the information required for the accountant together and sent away, and start 2023 with a clean slate.

Events: There are a couple of important events taking place over the coming weeks. The Irish Farmers Journal is holding two more nitrates information meetings with the Cavan event taking place on 24 January at 7:30pm in Hotel Kilmore and the Portlaoise event taking place on 26 January at 7:30pm in Killeshin Hotel. These information nights will highlight the changes that are taking place in the Nitrates Action Programme and highlight their impact on Irish farms.

Meanwhile, the Positive Farmers Conference is on 11 and 12 January and the Irish Grassland Association dairy conference is on 18 January. Both will discuss topics relevant to all dairy farmers and are a good opportunity to hear farmer stories and the latest research and development from Ireland and overseas.