Despite our good intentions, we got none of the routine spring work done over the last week.

We tentatively tried one pen of store cattle out on grass, but while the paddock was marked, the rain that followed put all thoughts of further grazing on hold. As I look at the receding silage pit, I am counting the days to 1 April.

One thing the rain has done is washed in the slurry that was applied during the long dry spell and there is a greenness about the grass where it was applied compared to where we thought the grass was too forward to take slurry.

I was surprised to see clumps of really vigorous growth of white clover

I have never spread nitrogen on the grazing ground, but relied on slurry to give the early season boost to growth.

Walking through the grass, I was surprised to see clumps of really vigorous growth of white clover. Normally, clover is said to need good growing conditions and temperatures of 10°C or more.

History is full of observant farmers and plant breeders spotting individual plants with desirable attributes and propagating them. Teagasc’s Oakpark station has a long and successful history of commercialising its clover breeding expertise.

A standard 30t load of CAN has increased to €21,000 compared to €6,000 last year

The time for intensification of this work may have come with the explosion in nitrogen prices.

This week, the cost increases really hit me.

A standard 30t load of CAN has increased to €21,000 compared to €6,000 last year, an increase of €500/t. While I was sympathetic to the Government increasing special payments to counteract increases of 20%–30% in fuel and electricity bills, I haven’t seen any reference to the increases farmers are facing. We are resigned to having a much higher fertiliser bill than usual. So far, the future grain prices are holding up, but I imagine, like many farmers, we are keeping an anxious eye on them.

We have sold our first load of beef cattle but the margin between buying and selling is flattered by the general increase in cattle prices over the last 12 months. It’s only when we have fully replaced that we will see where the profit figure lands. The increase in costs really hit me this week.