It is just as well that we have geared the farm to producing cattle that are finished and go directly to the factory.

Last week, we had our full test with every beast on the place brought in.

I wasn’t that surprised but I was mildly disappointed when one reactor showed up. Having a reactor means that we are barred from selling anywhere except to a factory, so it would be serious if we had a lot of calves or young stock on hand that we could neither sell nor feed.

The effects of the cold, harsh weather are visible even though we waited until the bitter northern winds had shifted to the southeast

I am always struck by the Department’s cattle tracing system where every one of the seven million cattle herd can be instantly called up with a history of where he was born and what farms he was on.

Out in the fields, the crops have got their growth regulator and herbicide. The effects of the cold, harsh weather are visible even though we waited until the bitter northern winds had shifted to the southeast and temperatures had recovered a bit before spraying.

When people give out about using fungicides to control disease in food plants, I always think of the deaths and misery caused by the famine

The next job will be disease control. With the removal of excellent chemicals from the European market, it has become a speciality in its own right to keep abreast of what is available and works best in specific circumstances.

When people give out about using fungicides to control disease in food plants, I always think of the deaths and misery caused by the famine and how it could so easily have been avoided by the application of modern plant science. But that is a different topic.