Heavy rainfall over the past week has seen ground conditions deteriorate rapidly, forcing cattle to be rehoused. Last week’s dry spell provided farmers on drier land the chance to filter cattle out to grass.

But with cattle just getting settled into a grazing routine, winter has returned with aplomb. Heavy rainfall has required herd owners to act swiftly to avoid swards being heavily poached.

Some farmers tried to work with the rain by taking action such as short stints of on/off grazing during the day, back-fencing and using stand-off areas where available. But as rainfall continued this week, the only option was rehousing to prevent long-term damage.

Where young livestock have been rehoused, advice is to monitor closely for early symptoms of pneumonia. Offering fresh forage daily, or a small quantity of concentrates morning and night, will highlight cattle in the early stages of sickness.