Looking back at my last piece in the Farmers Journal in early February, I saw a comment about the weather experienced since the piece before that in early December and the difficulties encountered as a result. I think that every article and columnist since has made comment regarding the weather. How I wish that I could be writing about the pleasant spring we have been experiencing; however, much as I’m sure that everybody else wants to hear more about the weather just as much as me, it’s difficult to ignore.

Perhaps we’ve become soft; after experiencing several fairly benign winters we`ve been brought back to reality with a winter which used to be considered the norm. A local, more mature farmer than myself, commented that winters like this used to be experienced regularly, but that many of the younger generation had never experienced a ‘real’ winter.

In spite of the increased workload that the frosts and snow have brought, fortunately there have been no long-term consequences as yet. One of the benefits of farming in these parts is that Winter very often lasts a good seven or eight months, and that when budgeting for feed requirements over the winter a 200-day housing period for the cattle is accounted for.

Thankfully stocks of silage are adequate to see us into the third week of May. Additionally we`ve even been able to sell close on 200 bales.

We’ve also managed to eke the barley to last the whole winter. In recent years a 30 or 34 % cereal balancer has been mixed with our home-grown barley at a ratio of one to three, but in light of reduced stocks of barley this year we’ve bought a 17 % blend, mixed with the barley at one to one, then a wee bit of soya added to bring protein back up. The result is hopefully no net increase in feed costs.

One major cause of disruption which coincided with the bad weather was a fairly serious breakdown with the loader tractor, unfortunately occurring later one night after a day spent moving snow and trying to restore frozen water supplies to the cattle. The tractor ground to a halt in the middle of the road fortunately not far from the farm. The initial cause of the breakdown, together with the ensuing damage caused by moving the tractor of the road, resulted in a need for a complete hub assembly for the front axle four-wheel drive.

Upon pricing all the various components required to effect repair, these coming to in excess of £2,500 before labour, the decision was taken to try and source a second-hand complete assembly. The delays in finding and then receiving the hub meant that the tractor was laid up for the best part of three weeks. At this point I was extremely glad we are what many would consider over-equipped, having two other tractors and the forklift.

We’ve been very fortunate over the years running what could politely be described as classic tractors in that we have very rarely, if ever, suffered serious breakdowns.

The arrival of the “beast from the east” also coincided with the start of our first lambing. Although the ewes were inside, in my wisdom and to enable entry to the shed with the forklift, alterations were made to the shed which was originally a calf-rearing shed, by opening up the gable end, removing the doors to be replaced by gates.

A wind and snow-proof barrier was very hurriedly created by building a wall of silage bales.

Since then all bar one of the Zwartbles ewe lambs purchased last year have lambed with the last one just at the drop. Our kids Eilidh, 13, and Alison, nine, have been very involved and hands-on, with a desire to be there at all times, and finding the balance between farm work and school work difficult to achieve. However with schools now on holiday for two weeks there will be less of a conflict of interests.

Two trailer loads of calves have been sold, with bullocks averaging 363kg and 236ppk while heifers levelled at 393kg and 227ppk, heifers being slightly older than the bullocks at just over a year old. The next few weeks will see more depart to make room for cows calving.