Farming lives are defined by the weather

Wet, wet, wet again. My husband Tim says: “Good morning” and immediately corrects himself to “Morning!” We are sick of the rain and with storms Ciara, Dennis and now Jorge battering Ireland; a “good” morning is a long way off. Before I get into a roundup of things on the farm I am very mindful of the difficulties that other farmers are experiencing across the country.

The footage of the Shannon area sends the clear message that farming lives are defined by the weather. There is a management issue for the authorities that has to be addressed. It is always the familiar piece of news that strikes a chord. One farmer was preparing to keep the water out of his calf house.

I cannot imagine how I would feel in that situation. Our calves are under cosy shelters with infrared lamps on deep dry straw beds. Outside the pens, the wide passage is moisture-free and limed every few days to keep it dry and clean. A surge of water would be a real nightmare for the health of the calves apart from the mess of a flood. My thoughts are with this farmer.

A man speaking on the radio, Paddy, has two houses. Both are flooded and uninhabitable for the last four years due to water damage. He is renting and the local authority is covering the cost. We’ve been hearing about the difficulties in the Shannon region for years.

Farming in a whole area is now restricted to the summer months

Surely it is time to do what needs to be done to help farmers and others to live normal lives, going to school, going to the shops and going to work. Can the Shannon not be dredged? Where is the expert knowledge? Why do the decision makers wait for conditions to escalate out of all proportion before jobs are tackled? Farming in a whole area is now restricted to the summer months. Suggestions of relocating are very difficult for people who have land and livelihoods in these areas. Now, falling between governments is an added headache for people trying to action flood protection measures.

Cork side

Here in Cork, it is wet but not flooded. I do understand the difference. Tim says that the farm is the wettest he’s ever seen it in 40 years of farming. Our son Colm disputes this observation citing spring 2018. Tim insists that this is different.

When a farmer wakes and hears the beating rain against the window pane, the first thought is of the field

The three inches cannot be grazed at the moment. There are many conversations this spring about managing the grazing across the farm. The men talk about their sleep being disturbed. When a farmer wakes and hears the beating rain against the window pane, the first thought is of the field.

The tendency to worry about it is hard to suppress

The sounds of curling wind and almost horizontal rain are fiercely unnerving. Colm says: “I start to wonder what the cows are doing.” We know that cows can rotovate a field in wet weather, delaying the regrowth of grass. It is not easy to keep a level head. The tendency to worry about it is hard to suppress. Some people listen to the sounds of wind and rain to relax. They are obviously not farmers.

Yet, we are managing to graze grass. Despite daily rain, the spur lanes, used to access the grass as cows move deeper into a field, are greening up after grazing. Both farms are growing about 12kg dry matter per hectare per day. Both men agree that it’s hard to see the growth rate pushing up to 48kg by 31 March. This is where it will need to be to feed the cows.

At the moment, cows are on 6kg-7kg of ration/day to match the grass. Both lots of cows went out to graze as they calved from 29 January.

Calf survival rate has been excellent too but we can’t really assess that until all the cows have calved

Sixty per cent of the cows are now calved. Calving is going really well and cows are fit and healthy with no milk fever or retained placentas. This indicates good and appropriate mineral supplementation.

Calf survival rate has been excellent too but we can’t really assess that until all the cows have calved. Calf health is really good. It is from now on that we need to be vigilant about hygiene and the control of infection by continued use of disinfection baths and operating closed groups of calves with dedicated feeders. Remaining on top of our game is critical as sheds fill up. So far, so good.