One communication that really concentrates my mind is that coming from the basic payment unit of the Department of Agriculture. Nearing the deadline for the submission of claims last week, I received both a letter and a text pointing out the importance of getting the application in on time and advising me to make sure that there were no loose ends around issues such as the transfer of entitlements, which caused a real problem in the past.

At the time, we got the issue resolved, but with a lot of effort and a nail-biting delay. This year, we got the application into the Department in early March, but following two separate communications, I rang the basic payment telephone number to ensure everything was in order. I am always pleasantly reassured at how helpful the Department staff are at the end of the phone.

This was the first time that I was expected to give my PPS number as well as my herd number to establish my identity, but once this was out of the way, I could sense my file being brought up on screen and we went through the various features of my case.

At the end, I was assured that everything was in order and nothing extra was needed.

This is clearly going to be a year when every penny of the basic farm payment is needed.

On the cattle side, I have little doubt that the hugely reduced efficiency and quality of my dairy-bred steers, when compared with good continental bulls, will see reduced margins on the beef side, while the dry spell has meant that nitrogen applied over a fortnight ago is still sitting on the ground.

The granules may have reduced in size, but it is clear we are not getting the full value of the fertiliser yet.