Calving here on the farm in Abbeyleix is finally done and dusted for 2026. It was a tough spring with the weather, but we actually managed fairly well here.

Now, as the cycle continues, breeding has kicked off in earnest this week, and we’re full swing into scanning, synchronisation, and keeping an eye on the grass.

Last week we pre-scanned 20 cows flagged as non-cycling on the collars, along with any that had twins and held cleanings.

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Of those, two cows needed a wash-out, and five required a CIDR to get them cycling again. I also put CIDRs in the heifers this week, as I’ve decided to run the sexed semen synchronisation programme again.

It had been a reliable system in past years – apart from last year, which I’m calling a very unfortunate blip.

Lads in my discussion group and elsewhere had good results last year, so here’s hoping I don’t end up kicking myself in a few months.

Grass growth has taken off here lately. Last week we recorded a growth rate of 80kg DM/ha.

The average cover per cow is 218kg DM/LU, though I’ve provisionally earmarked two paddocks for bales, which dropped cover per cow down to 170kg.

I’ll wait another week before cutting them, as their total covers are still only 1,600kg and 1,300kg respectively – not quite ready for the mower yet. I will start following cows with 20 units N/acre on paddocks from now on.

Milk production is holding up well, with cows averaging around 30l on 4kg of nuts. The last test returned a butterfat of 4.25% and protein at 3.65%.

Unfortunately, we had another case of mastitis last week, pushing the herd’s SCC back over 250,000.

We’re planning to tackle it with careful California mastitis testing over the next few weeks and, fingers crossed, get it back under control quickly.

Looking ahead, our second TB test is scheduled for next week, so we’re keeping everything crossed.

The first batch of 60 calves that went out to grass are now down to 2l of milk per day and will be fully weaned after the herd test.

Normally I would wean them this week, but leaving them on a little milk will make it much easier to bring them in from the fields – they’ll follow the milk cart without a fuss.

It’s been a busy start to the year, but there’s a certain satisfaction in seeing the cycle continue smoothly – cows cycling, calves thriving, and grass growing fast enough to make a farmer smile.

Here’s hoping for a steady run through breeding, TB testing and the summer ahead.