The last time we had a deluge like we had over the weekend, the water gushed down a gentle slope at the back of the yard and straight into one of the slatted house tanks. That, from memory, was about six years ago.

Obviously the tank was flooded and the cattle were a complete mess. We had to suddenly gear up and get the slurry tanker and laboriously reduce the level in the tank by 12in of dilute slurry and transfer it into one of the other tanks. It was a thankless, messy task.

Following that, we built a three-inch high sloped concrete barrier to deflect the water on to the yard concrete in case the same thing happened again. Last Saturday, it did. It had rained heavily all Friday night with visibly flooded fields, so it was with some trepidation I went out but the new barrier had worked a treat. Set at a slight angle, the water as it came down was deflected harmlessly into the yard and straight down a ditch.

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With all the cattle finally in, we have little room for manoeuvre, so the last thing I needed was a flooded slatted house.

At this stage in our part of the country, we are just a month away from being able to spread slurry – assuming ground conditions are adequate. So far, we have plenty of room in the tanks but as a standby, I am going to investigate the pros and cons of an umbilical system. The land itself is saturated with more pools of water in the crops than I would like. Normally, if crops are sown in good conditions, the water percolates rapidly but, this year, every drain is fully tested.