One of the real signs that winter has arrived is the discovery of the oilseed rape by the pigeons. Last year was the first year we sowed one of the Clearfield varieties – their main characteristic is that they are resistant to some of the common herbicides – so, weed control is easier and less expensive. Last year, the oilseed rape was immaculate – unlike some of my other crops, it also yielded well.

I had assumed last year that another advantage of these varieties was that pigeons found them less palatable, as they did hardly any damage right through the season. It seems I was wrong to have jumped to such a conclusion. After the few frosty nights at the end of last week, the signs of pigeon grazing are real.

I had assumed last year that another advantage of these varieties was that pigeons found them less palatable, as they did hardly any damage right through the season

As ever, they are picking the patches of the field where, for one reason or another, the plants are weaker and less developed. They have left the areas with strong, vigorous growth alone, presumably because there are less gaps with bare soil where the pigeons can stand in comfort. I am reasonably hopeful that the crop, though late sown, has made enough progress through the mild autumn to withstand damage at this stage. We will do our best to control them.

After the poor profitability of finishing cattle last winter, like many others in the sector, I took advantage of the BEAM scheme. With €100 per head on up to 100 cattle, it only took a few minutes to apply and the money arrived on schedule in my account with efficiency. I was aware that in applying and qualifying for the scheme, I was committing myself to reducing the stocking rate on the place by 5% for the year ending June 2021, but it didn’t feature largely in my thoughts until recently.

After the poor profitability of finishing cattle last winter, like many others in the sector, I took advantage of the BEAM scheme

I had postponed buying in my usual number of stores in the autumn, because of my worries over Brexit and what might happen cattle prices, so when I became conscious of my BEAM obligations again, I assumed I had plenty of head room. I had some, but not as much as I had expected. The reason for my complacency was because I had significantly fewer cattle, but I had overlooked that in switching from young bulls to dairy beef stock, a lot of the cattle had gone from being counted as 0.6 of a livestock unit to being a full livestock unit once they became 24 months.

I have had my card well marked and will tread cautiously to make sure I don’t have to repay the money

My young bulls were all slaughtered before 22 months, so this problem had never arisen. Some time ago, I had signed a form giving my Teagasc advisor permission to access my full herd details from ICBF and/or the Department database. The other day, he rang me out of the blue to say that he had been looking at my herd and that I should be aware of how many I could safely buy in between now and June and was wondering how many I expected to have fit to sell. I have had my card well marked and will tread cautiously to make sure I don’t have to repay the money.