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Last week, we received a very clear note from the ESB telling us that on Tuesday we would have no electricity between 9am and 5pm. I was glad that we had been given a sensible period of notice as even though we are not in dairying we are dependent on electricity to power our deep well pump to supply water to house and the yard. We had looked at the possibility of linking up to the mains some years ago, but the nearest connection point would be well over a mile away and the estimated cost was very high.
In any event the well is sunk almost 40 years and through all the variations in weather it has never run dry. But reliable electricity is key. After the very heavy snowfalls of four or five years ago when there were widespread power outages nationally, we realised how vulnerable we were, especially with the finishing cattle on heavy meal feeding.
Good intentions
We invested in a simple petrol-driven generator that with the flick of a switch could power the water pump for as long as necessary. We were full of good intentions to run the generator for an hour or so every six months, but of course our good resolutions slipped as time went on and the urgency disappeared.
The ESB notice, however, galvanised us into action. I rang the contractor who had installed the machine to ensure he would be on standby, filled it with fresh petrol, took a deep breath and started it. It sprang to life and operated perfectly for 15 minutes or so. The investment involved was on the point of proving its worth after all.
On the day appointed for the blackout, the lights stayed on and on. I rang the ESB to be told that we had received the notification in error and that no outage was scheduled for us. However, at least we are prepared.
The portion of the field was in a saucer and we got a permit from the council to import soil
Meanwhile, the dry weather has let us continue with a small number of cattle mopping up the last of the grass. The ability of differing soil types to stand up to cattle grazing is striking. The worst by far is an area I had raised with soil brought in some years ago.
The portion of the field was in a saucer and we got a permit from the council to import soil. The venture has worked well and we have cut hay and silage, as well as grazed stock on the “new” land. However, it is clearly not suitable for late grazing.
I am loathe to carry out an expensive drainage job
The rainwater seems not to penetrate down to the subsoil but in the absence of evaporation at this time of the year, the top soil seems to act as a sponge, getting softer and softer as the winter progresses.
I am loathe to carry out an expensive drainage job but the only alternative seems to be to have all stock off that block by mid-October. Out in the tillage fields it is a long time since we had such good establishment across the crops. We have odd patches of slug damage which we are treating. The worst surprisingly is after oats in a crop of commercial wheat but, in general, the gates are closed for the winter on the tillage fields.
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