Normally at this time of the year all the cattle would be out day and night for the last fortnight or three weeks. Not this year – the long dry spell of frosty nights and north east winds has left the grassland recovering very slowly after the first grazing which we took in early March. I have never used nitrogen on our grazing ground, relying instead on an early application of slurry to get growth moving initially and then expecting the clover to kick in and keep a reasonable supply of grass in front of the cattle. But clover needs some heat, ideally accompanied by some moisture – this year we have had neither and we are seeing the effects.

Luckily we still have some silage left and as the finished cattle go, it is lasting that bit longer.

While I am mostly blaming weather conditions for the poor clover growth, I am afraid that part of the cause may well be the herbicide I used to control the docks in some paddocks last summer.

However, the dry weather has allowed us to get through a lot of work between spreading slurry, getting the nitrogen out on both the crops and the first cut silage ground.

Last week, we had a full crop review. The beans are now sown over a fortnight and while we can dig up germinating plants, there are none above ground as yet. There is rain forecast for this week, so hopefully that, with milder weather, will give a push to growth and emergence.

I am always nervous of beans being too long in the ground as they are a magnet for crows and even though we seem to be keeping them in control by occasional shooting, I have seen them do huge damage to crops sown in the spring – as well of course as those sown in autumn.

Elsewhere, the crops seem in good condition with the oilseed rape in full flower and the wheat, barley and oats responding to the first split of nitrogen and a low rate of growth regulator. Again, the cold weather, combined with the growth regulator, seems to have caused some slight scorching but I presume the affected crops will grow out of it.