We seem to have COVID-19 under control in Ireland this week and our Government needs to be commended for moving very quickly and decisively and in stark contrast to some of our nearest neighbours. It was great to see this independent thinking in a time of crisis, rather than taking a lead from other countries, whose policies have subsequently proven to be negligent.

We may see restrictions in place for a considerable time to come

We are now in the situation where we have the tiger firmly caught by the tail though, and while its progress is restricted, it isn’t any less dangerous and we still haven’t worked out how to let the pressure off or what the consequences will be when we try to move back towards normal business resumption.

Hopefully we can plan an exit strategy over the rest of the year and a vaccine can be fast-tracked

We may see restrictions in place for a considerable time to come. The big positive is that we have managed to avoid the big surge in cases that would have seen our health system implode and huge loss of life. Hopefully we can plan an exit strategy over the rest of the year and a vaccine can be fast-tracked for the most vulnerable members of our society.

No less busy

Meanwhile, it’s business as usual on the farm and we are definitely no less busy on farm as we move through the breeding season and finish up with calving. We left the bull in a bit longer last year in case we needed the cow numbers but we will go back to finishing up calving in March next spring.

The last few calves have arrived with very little trouble but those late cows will struggle to get back in calf by the end of June.

The start of AI has gone very well with numbers bulling coming in ahead of target for the first week

It’s all beef calves and they are easy enough to sell but they still have to be started off on the feeders and get their biestings, etc. The last few are springing up well, so we should be wrapped up fairly soon.

The start of AI has gone very well with numbers bulling coming in ahead of target for the first week.

We have 40% of the herd submitted in eight days so things will calm down a little over the next two weeks. We have used sexed semen on 70% of the cows so far and that will run out over the next two days. We started breeding a couple of days early to allow for a lower conception rate with these straws.

Hopefully, the investment pays off next spring

The repeats should be picked up in week four of breeding to give them another chance to conceive early in the season, and we will continue with AI for eight weeks this year to cover any second round of repeats from these cows. Hopefully, the investment pays off next spring.

We will use some more Belgian Blue this year

We will use a lot more beef straws on the lower end of the herd from week four of breeding.

We used Belgian Blue and some Charolais last year. We will use some more Belgian Blue this year and maybe try some Speckle Park as well. We have Aubrac and Angus bulls to mop up both heifers and cows at the end of the season.

Milk price

Finally, it was disappointing to see our milk price in the southeast take a serious hit last week.

We are just entering peak milk production, so any cuts at this stage have a significant effect on dairy farmers’ incomes for the year.

Hopefully we can all keep focused on curtailing the spread of this disease

Hopefully, things don’t get much worse and demand holds for product across our main markets.

Thanks again to all our suppliers and processors who are going above and beyond to keep farms serviced at this difficult time.

Hopefully we can all keep focused on curtailing the spread of this disease and keep farm safety a priority with the extra people young and old on our farms during lockdown.

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