Farmer Focus: Prize-winning big bale silage offset by pint inflation

Second cut is cleared with a bumper crop of quality stuff, fertiliser was applied the following day and some slurry as well.

With four in-depth soil analyses done on the grazing platform, the message was to use more sulphur.

The bulls have now been castrated and hopefully two of them might calm down as they were like a pair of uncontrollable teenagers out on the beer.

See also: 5 tips on maintaining cow tracks

About the author

Eurig Jenkins

Eurig Jenkins and family are spring block-calvers on 316ha (780 acres) at Lampeter in west Wales. Eurig oversees the management of 430 New Zealand Friesians, supplying First Milk. Stocking rates are up to 4.11 cows/ha in the summer. Calving lasts nine weeks and youngstock are wintered on deferred grazing.

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Email: Eurigj@hotmail.com

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Also, last year’s bulls (now steers) have gone, along with the last of the empty cows.

With the current volatility and uncertainty, I took the decision to order five artic loads of fertiliser with the intention some of it will be for next spring use.

We also had a lovely load of straw off the field, but have held off buying in hay at the moment as I don’t think I am going to need it (though we might buy in some rough stuff just to use during the week we dry cows off in winter).

Eventually my digger man turned up, so we are busy putting a new cow track in the field we bought, as well as laying astroturf on existing tracks.

He is also here to tidy up the two big mole hills behind the sheds from when we dug out the site, when we extended the sheds, four years ago. How time flies.

We managed to win the best big bale silage competition in the annual Welsh Grassland Society Awards.

I also managed a night away in Cardiff to watch the Stereophonics, which was in scorching weather; I’m hoping for some weather to do 13ha of haylage on wet, heavy fields soon.

Earlier in the month I managed to have a great barbecue and catch-up with friends from Harper Adams.

I had not seen some of them since leaving about 22 years ago.

Obviously, the amount of alcohol consumed on the night would have put us to shame in our peak socialising days when beer was only about £2.50 a pint.

As the current Mrs has pointed out, my days of being first out and last home may be getting a bit much for the man who has just started growing white hair.

Obviously, I’m not going to mention the lack of hair I currently have on top…