I always feel that January is a great month for overviewing life and in our case it is about the only time we get to overview and plan. Much time is being spent in the office, particularly as a result of my New Year resolution to really get a handle on the paperwork on a regular, consistent basis and not have to resort to crisis management which does nothing for my digestion.
We knew which shed needed to be re-roofed this summer but the heavy rainfall has really brought some clarity to the issue. The cattle (sucklers) have wintered well despite our late, heavy and rather stalky silage. Its good to know that we have plenty of it but the straw situation looks like it could catch us out and I don`t like to think of what the straw price could be in our part of the country in March/April.
It is also the time of year to choose a new cow for the t-shirts ~ yes I did say t-shirts. It all started about three years ago when I thought it might be interesting to add a cow to our childrens clothing design range. Tractors.... Diggers.... Cows... it just seemed like a natural progression. We were fortunate to find just the right volunteer `Splodge` closely followed by `Spotty` the following year. This years cow selection is hanging in the balance but make no mistake, it is a coveted place to be.
It is hard to criticise a cows conception rate when she has an alternative income stream.