Weather: After all the rain last weekend, many were left with no choice but to house cows. While the rain was widespread, it affected those in the north and west most as they have had more rain than normal all year and land is saturated. You need to make grazing decisions that are right for your farm. Keeping grass in the diet is everyone’s goal but it can’t come at the expense of poaching – especially not at this time of year.

There are no easy solutions. On-off grazing, 12-hour breaks and grazing lighter covers all work well to a point, but they do require extra work. The reward is cheaper feed bills and higher milk constituents. The key is to be flexible. The best farmers on marginal land are willing to house cows at any time of the year but let them out again as soon as conditions allow.

Farmers who are struggling with low milk prices and dire weather should recognise that they are not alone and many more are in similar predicaments. Look out for your neighbours who may be under pressure.

Soil sampling: It’s interesting to note that in a recent survey of New Zealand farmers about cost cutting, very few dropped the annual soil sample in response to the fall in milk price. I see some of the Irish milk processors are offering special deals for soil sampling which include the cost of a technician taking the sample. We need to get into the zone of taking an annual soil sample for every paddock. We can complain all we like about nitrates regulations restricting application, but regular soil sampling will allow a quick response to changes in pH, phosphorus and potassium levels and allow for more to be spread.

On pages 36 and 37 this week, I describe the US approach to drainage and how they manage soils. We have so much to learn. The Irish approach to looking after our soils is pathetic. We are effectively mining nutrients. Eventually, the mine will run out, as some farmers are finding to their cost. Consider getting a group deal for soil sampling with your discussion group and analyse the results as a group.

Health check: Sticking with discussion groups, I was speaking to a farmer at the ploughing who said that his discussion group arranged a group discount for a private health clinic to give every member a full health check. He said that it was something most of them had thought about getting done as individuals, but never got around to doing it. Organising it as a group encouraged them into it. The appointments were arranged at times that suited each individual farmer and the results were only given to each farmer.

What emerged was startling. Two farmers were diagnosed with Type II diabetes, one had to get an emergency stent fitted, while one farmer was found to have an aneurism on his heart which could have proven fatal if it erupted. All were sorry they hadn’t gone for the health check sooner. As we head into the autumn and the jobs on the farm decrease, make time to get your own health checked out.