It’s never been more important to take a breather after the rigours of the spring calving season

March is a month when I focus on four areas: grass, cows, young stock, and ourselves. Getting the simple things right is the key to a good calving and breeding season - but the most important area is yourself.

A bit like the walking wounded after a battle, if you’re conscious and breathing then you can move forward, but in reality there may be some injuries that need tending to.

Spring calving is a physical and mental battle and as the intensity of calving eases, swollen knees, achy backs or anxiety need to be addressed with a pit stop. We have an incredible way of dismissing small niggles, I did it myself, mashing my hand between a hitch and trailer when flat out in February and only having enough time to wrap a tissue on the injury and put a glove over it so it didn’t bleed on everything else that needed doing. Now is the time to take a moment for yourself and see what needs an oil change so that motors are purring nicely in April.

On the practical side grassland management is crucial in March as we ride the waves of storms and cold fronts to hopefully tip the scales in favour of growth.

Many farms are in a situation where getting out to grass is an achievement in itself, but we do need to gear ourselves up for grazing at any given opportunity for the remainder of the month. On our very dry farm, spring really is our season to shine as we wilt at the slightest gap in rain for the duration of the summer.

Currently we have over 60pc of the farm grazed and looking at a cover of 600kgDM on the first paddock grazed. There is a slight step in the grass wedge due to the cold spell at the start of March but protected urea has been spread this week and with over 12 hours daylight now we should start to see grass move.

With 93pc calved by St Patrick’s Day, the cows have been transitioning very well this year with no displacements to date and just two instances of retained placenta.

We have noticed a high level of mounting activity indicating that cyclicity has resumed which is reassuring coming into April.

For cows that retained an afterbirth or had metritis it is better to have them seen to before the breeding season begins, giving more time for therapy to take effect and creating a better environment for conception to occur.

Pre-breeding tail painting will begin in early April, there is always intense debate about the necessity of such a task. For us it’s a tick box exercise of who needs attention and getting those girls checked out in a timely manner before the season is paramount to achieving a high conception rate to first service.

For replacement heifers that might have seen a long winter indoors, an essential task is to weigh them and see where they are in relation to target. Ideally heifers should be 53pc of mature liveweight in March. Those that are too far under or over target will struggle fertility-wise. Vaccination courses for BVD and leptospirosis need to be completed at least four weeks before the beginning of the breeding season, so most should have already received their first vaccine by now.

Finally, Covid-19 is is applying a lot of additional worry, anxiety and pressure on people -- along with the poor weather.

The phenomenal pace at which this virus has created change and uncertainty in everyone’s lives is breathtaking and that can be difficult to deal with.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the wall-to-wall coverage of the emergency. The best advice is to focus on what you can control.

We can control our own behaviour in relation to handwashing and social distancing, thereby reducing our infection risk and potential spread.

We can control and prioritise ordering farm inputs that will be needed for the months of April and May in terms of feed, fertiliser, AI, vaccines, seed, spray and milk replacer as there is potential for movement restrictions on people in the coming weeks.

Quarantine

In terms of staff, splitting the group into set teams that work together so only one team is quarantined if a member becomes sick is a good idea as it reduces risk. If you find yourself slipping into the negativities of what ifs, try to focus on the here and now, ring a neighbour to check in with them and see they are ok.

This emergency highlights exactly what’s important; our family and communities, our health and a secure food supply and how we as farmers are fortunate enough to have significant roles to play in each area.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the wall-to-wall coverage of the emergency. The best advice is to focus on what you can control

Gillian O’Sullivan farms with her husband Neil in Dungarvan, Co Waterford