This is the first year I can remember where we have got no slurry out in January. It’s not that we have had that much rain, but there have been some very wet days and with the low temperatures, evaporation has been non-existent. While all the drains seem to be running satisfactorily, water levels are high and land is soft. We have identified some particularly bad ponding where old systems seem to have broken down. We seem to have a mixture of drainage types in the place, some are old, narrow tiles, with outlets in wonderful large cut stone faces meticulously sculptured into the bank of the watercourse. But in the main, not many are fully intact. Other areas seem to have a network of gravel-filled mole drains, with the gravel coming right up to the surface. These have been incredibly effective for at least 100 years. Coming up to the present day, we are trying to replicate the benefits of the old land drainage system by the laying of modern coiled plastic piping and filling up a narrow trench with gravel up to the surface. But I wonder what is their useful lifespan when I compare them with the tile drains put in so painstakingly many years ago.

Meanwhile, as well as having no slurry out, we have not even thought about putting out fertiliser on the winter crops. While I have seen the odd reference to January ploughing, the only crop that remains to be sown is beans so I am content to wait for quite a while yet, in the hope of getting good conditions. I can’t imagine we will have the same awful combination of February floods and three months spring/early summer drought as last year.

We have begun to slowly sell the 2019-born dairy beef steers. They came in roughly this time last year, or a bit later. Over the last six months operating this system, the margins are razor thin. The critical questions in doing the sums are what costs are actually incurred, is it realistic to put in a charge for owned land or for interest on cattle bought from own funds? The same applies for how labour is charged and what about the single farm payment? If all of these are charged to the dairy beef enterprise, and no single farm payment is credited, then the enterprise will inevitably, in my view, lose money. But to get back to my first few cattle sold – the payment and bonus schemes are so critical and precise that the careful selection of cattle, both at buying and selling, has never been more important.