While growth rates can differ vastly across this little island of ours, we’ve certainly had one of our best summers for it in a long time. Grass has been leaping out of the ground and even the apple and plum trees are groaning under their burden of fruit this year, not to mention the blackberries now popping up everywhere.

Along with this, our small vegetable garden has outdone itself and I spent the last week trying to think of what I could do with excess courgettes, peas and chard, as all were growing so fast I could nearly start grazing like the cattle if I got a bit peckish walking past.

This time last year the same garden was used to teach the little bottle-fed calf how to graze, as she was adamant she wanted nothing to do with other cows in the field. She is now in line for the Carrick fatstock sale later in the year and getting fed each day. Come rain or shine, she’s waiting by the gate at eight in the morning, bawling for her bucket. No need for a wristwatch or alarm clock when she’s around!

I’ve already started to train my little red roan heifer, purely to have another trained one in the field as we’ve seen how it can be useful when moving them or taking a couple out by themselves.

Perhaps starting her at a few days old was a little early, though she wasn’t even born when she had her first ropes on, albeit on her legs, and she’s much easier to manoeuvre around the field when she weighs less than myself. She’s too young for shows this year but as my plan is to breed her down the line, hopefully the training will come into play some day.

One issue we’ve noticed with the more humid and hot weather recently is the abundance of flies. Normally we’d have little issue with them, but some of the cattle this year have been plagued with sore and weepy eyes. Not enough to need treatment but surely an annoyance. We had previously trialled a garlic lick but the cows were not too interested in it so we left them to their own devices and the shade of the hedges this year.

Breeding

Breeding has been a little hit and miss with one pedigree Limousin (who was supposed to be two months in calf) coming in heat a day after we moved them to the furthest fields from the shed. Short of moving the entire group back, there wasn’t much hope of getting her and her calf separated so she was skipped until next time. Otherwise, everything served so far looks to be OK.

To our surprise, the heifer that had the Caesarean came in heat exactly four weeks after having her insides rummaged around in. We decided not to cover her as we felt it was too early – possibly a good decision as she cycled nine days later and again was left off to see if she’ll return to a more natural 19- to 21-day cycle.

As we have more replacement heifers to hold over this year, having some cows calving later next year isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially as the next couple to get inseminated will also be getting sexed Limousin straws as they are two of our best breeding cows.

While some people may think we’re crazy for not covering them with a Belgian Blue in the current beef market, I’m trying to think of what I can use a more muscled bull on in three or four years’ time.

While Blues are lovely to look at, I’ve always found Limousins to have more longevity around here, and I like to have more choice when it comes to bull selection each year.