With the vast bulk of the cattle now in, we have two very different regimes in place. The remainder of my under-22-month bulls are on a full ration of concentrates – mainly barley, wheat distillers for protein and some non-GM maize meal for extra starch to ensure an acceptable level of finish before they hit the 22 month age.

Interestingly, just recently, we had another inspection from my bull processor’s supermarket customers who, as usual, checked the maize meal to ensure that it was non-GM.

I have no option but to abandon the practice of producing beef directly out of the shed

However, this emphasis on concentrates is not happening with my newly bought in Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cross steers that have come from the dairy herd.

If I am to get the necessary cheap weight gain from grass, with my dairy bred steers, I have no option but to abandon the practice of producing beef directly out of the shed.

At the moment, they are on good silage fed to appetite and while they look fine, it will be interesting to see after a month or so how much weight they have put on.

I am resigned to abandoning one field I had earmarked for winter wheat

If the meat industry wants steer beef in the spring, then I can’t see enough being produced without a clear contract in place.

On the tillage side, we are still struggling to get our winter sowing completed. I am resigned to abandoning one field I had earmarked for winter wheat.

As we move into mid-November, it is noticeable how slow germination and emergence is with cold nights and this year, with wet soils.

Winter barley

The last of the winter barley is only emerging now, while the early October sown crops are well up, with the fields a uniform dense green swath.

In the later-sown fields, the tramlines are just barely visible.

There is still no sign of the wheat that is now sown a full fortnight and my concern is that the crows, in the absence of any legally permitted seed dressing, will, as some years ago, decimate the crop.

I am still hopeful that we will get our gluten-free oats sown in the field where we had oilseed rape last harvest. The drill is cleaned out and inspected and the seed is waiting in the yard.

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A growing appreciation for Irish grain