Thankfully, since my last article, weather conditions have improved significantly.

All store cattle are now at grass - or at least all the store cattle I’ve bought so far.

I may add a few more in the coming weeks, but I’m glad to have had a reasonable number secured over the past six weeks.

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The change in weather seems to have given the store trade a lift as well, with prices hardening somewhat.

Store and beef prices aren’t quite lining up at the minute at all, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Ground conditions are starting to dry out reasonably well, especially considering the volume of rain we’ve had. Things are workable and grass supply is adequate for now, I think.

I haven’t managed to get out and measure covers yet, but it’s on the to-do list and something I need to stay on top of. It’s easy to get caught up in everything else and let that slip, but it’s too important to ignore for long.

Beef trade

I have some cattle ready to go, but with beef prices appearing to have steadied - or at least stopped falling - I’m holding off for the moment. There’s no urgency, as nothing is over-fat, so leaving them another week or two shouldn’t do any harm.

In fact, it might do the opposite. If there is any bit of a lift in the trade over the next few weeks, it will be worth the wait.

A few bulls are coming close to 16 months old now, so they’ll need to be moved on shortly regardless. I’ll likely draft some heifers at the same time. They’re continuing to gain weight and, as the saying goes, weight is money.

Timing it right is always the challenge - balancing performance, market conditions and practicalities on the ground.

The first batch of dairy heifers have also just arrived. Alongside that, I managed to get a field burned off for reseeding. It’s a job that needed doing and it’s good to have it under way.

There’s still a bit to do before it’s ready for ploughing, including some drainage work, which I’m hoping to get completed soon.

As always, the weather will have the final say. If conditions hold, I should be able to push on and get the reseeding done in good time.

For now, things are moving in the right direction. Grass is growing, cattle are out and there’s a bit more optimism around the place. Long may it last.