Despite the late turn out date from the sheds this year, once cattle got out none of the stock have looked back at all and everything seems to be thriving. Although the calves aren’t eating much feed just yet, we’ve put the creep feeder out with them to try and bring the cows into heat sooner.

For once we’ve a small group of four calving close together at the end of this year instead of the usual late one or two. Coincidentally they all happen to be pedigree Limousin, so it’ll be a nice change to have a few stronger calves in the shed, though it’s likely I’ll be lamenting the amount of straw used compared to March or April calves.

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It’s the best time of year to lift the mood, with the next generation of calves racing around the fields and with the warmth in the air and ground you’d nearly feel yourself growing if you stand still long enough.

With a couple of heifer calves born recently we finally bucked the trend of bull calves we’d been having, and with the last couple to calve scanned it’s looking like we’ve a run of girls to finish off calving until autumn.

And I’m happy to be able to add my own little arrival to that tally as my daughter arrived in the middle of last week.

Not before time too, as I was fed up of not being able to check stock each morning without needing to plan a route around electric fences and I’d heard the full repertoire of jokes about having a calving jack and ropes on standby.

Thankfully all went well, but needless to say I might be a little more hesitant to use bulls with a high calving difficulty on our cows in future. It’s certainly a big change to have a newborn in the house, but I don’t think it’ll be long before she’s out and about in the fields with me, though it will be a few years before I can train her into running ahead and opening gates in front of the tractor.

Pasture which was grazed first got topped and rolled, followed by a light dressing of 10-10-20 and CAN. Most of the meadows also got a similar application, coupled with half our tank of slurry which was spread using the dribble bar, which means grass has shot up in the last couple of weeks.

They say a wet and windy May fills the haggard with corn and hay and though we won’t have any corn, we look to be on target to cut meadows by mid-June.

We’ve already totted up a rough estimate on how much stock we should have in the shed next winter, so we’ve a minimum number of bales in mind and as we were left with only one spare this year, every one of them will be needed.

The newly planted spuds were slow to take off but they’re now beginning to flourish in the warmer weather, and the ones my father has been tending in the polytunnel are almost fit to be served up with Sunday dinner one of these days.

They may be a humble meal but with a lump of butter, salt and a mug of milk, you couldn’t beat them with a big stick.