I had full intentions of going to the Ploughing this year as I hadn’t been down for the past four or five years, but luckily enough as it turned out, it didn’t work out for me.

I was speaking to a couple of very annoyed and frustrated people on Thursday, who had travelled the whole way from Donegal only to find out it had to be called off. One snapchat I saw showed a picture of a long line of traffic at a standstill and read “when you drive from Malin to the ploughing and its cancelled!”

A couple of videos I saw made the pubs round Tullamore at 12pm on a Wednesday seem like 12am on a Saturday night

Some people had no choice but to turn around and drive straight back home, as they had only made plans to come down for the one day, while others, not under any pressure to return home made the most of the situation. A couple of videos I saw made the pubs round Tullamore at 12pm on a Wednesday seem like 12am on a Saturday night. The music was pumping, the jivers were jiving and craic was mighty. Sure, what else would you be at?

If it's one thing we Irish know how to do is make the best of a bad situation! Although disappointing and frustrating for 100,000 people I would imagine the right decision was made. If the site wasn’t safe then it wasn’t safe and that’s all there is to it.

As my mother would say, “if God spares me!” I’m definitely going next year. I’ve been telling myself that for the last three or four years right enough!

Heavy covers

All calves are weaned at this stage and are settled back on after grass. Covers are heavier than I would like them to be but I’m still getting them cleaned out reasonably well. Heifer calves are getting around 1.5kgs of a maize, barley, distillers and hulls mix, while the bulls are getting about 3kgs of the same ration.

Some 60% of my bull calves this year are Salers. Although good enough cattle, they are of lesser quality than I would be used to and just won’t sell as well as the Charolais. I think to get the most out of these cattle I need to take them to finish. I’ve never finished my own bulls before, but I do have a good bit of experience finishing bulls on farms I have worked on in the past.

Probably not the best year to try it for the first time though! The price of bulls in the local factory is €3.75/kg, a good high maize ration is €30/t more expensive that it was this time last year and the uncertainty of Brexit is just around the corner.

But sure, what would life be without the odd challenge?

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