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With all the grain and oilseed rape harvests completed and the fields cleared of straw, it should have been a time for a break but in fact, it was non-stop. As I mentioned last week, part of the reason was the full slatted tanks after the long winter. The extra dry matter in the feed meant that extra water was needed for agitation and with the dry summer, there was little water in the dirty water tank that I built a few years ago to comply with the farmyard regulations, so it was a tedious drive to fill the slurry tanker from the one ditch on the place that is constantly full. We are now pretty well in control but we still have one tank to empty which we will put on a field going into winter wheat. We are also taking the opportunity given by the early harvest to do some ditch cleaning.
On Saturday, we finished sowing the oilseed rape for the 2019 harvest. We got it drilled and rolled just ahead of the rain which came as the papal visit to Knock and the Phoenix Park got under way. It was that same rain that blew in from the northwest on to the slats in the end part of a house with bulls almost ready to go to the factory. After the long, dry spell, the slats got slippy and whatever way it happened a lovely Saler-Limousin cross bull broke a hind leg. It’s a long time since we had an accident like that. Our local factory used carry out an on-farm slaughter service but when I rang, I was told it was no longer available. In fairness, they came back to me in a few hours with a name of a new operator who has set up to offer this kind of casualty service. Just before that, I rang a neighbour who feeds a lot of cattle and he gave me the same name and number. Our own vet came out and did an ante-mortem inspection. He contacted the casualty firm’s vet to assure him all was in order and so, the animal was humanely killed and bled on the farm and taken away for a full veterinary post-mortem. I got paid that day, a bit less than half of what I reckon he was worth through the normal channels but in the circumstances, I was glad to get it and relieved that there is an outlet for an injured animal. I will investigate whether I should get the smooth slats re-grooved.
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