Even though it was three weeks later than last year and a completely different growing season, the winter barley has produced good yields and excellent quality. I don’t think I have ever had bushel weights of over 71 before.

The general run was over 4t/acre on average, with a small field of a six-row variety doing over 4.5t. However, this good technical and production performance is not going to be reflected in higher profits. Prices will undoubtedly be lower than last year.

Today, I am anxiously scanning the weather forecast as we hope for a dry few days to begin the oilseed rape, with the wheat still some way off

Teagasc is estimating 30% lower. I hope they are overestimating the fall. Looking up my records, I see that we got roughly the same price for feed barley in 1983 as we are likely to get this year. This time last year, we were well into the wheat having finished the oats and oilseed rape.

Today, I am anxiously scanning the weather forecast as we hope for a dry few days to begin the oilseed rape, with the wheat still some way off. This is going to compress the autumn workload of slurry spreading and stubble cultivation if we are to have land ready for oilseed rape in late August.

There is no doubt output will be significantly lower, both per acre and per animal

On the cattle side, the ending of my system of bull beef under 22 months and 420kg carcase weight will, if we are to continue in cattle production, propel me down a steer system with lower weight gain and reduced conformation. There is no doubt output will be significantly lower, both per acre and per animal. The key question is can I reduce costs dramatically?

Certainly there will be a much greater reliance on grass.

The infection means that the animal is ineligible to enter the food chain

Meanwhile, we have had another case of mycoplasma bovis. I find this particular imported disease extremely difficult to cope with.

The infection means that the animal is ineligible to enter the food chain. Antibiotics have no visible effect and, despite the best efforts of vets and beast, it continues to go downhill.

I find it difficult to understand why there is so little progress in countering this scourge. The disease is the subject of an intensive eradication programme in New Zealand but here we seem to just shrug our official shoulders and let farmers bear the total loss.