Now is the time to get key tasks done before all hell breaks loose in March
Igot my quad course done in early January. Being honest, I thought it would be a complete waste of time, but actually I was delighted that I did it and it was a real eye opener in terms of where I stand, both in terms of safety for ourselves and employees, and insurance if you or someone working for you had an accident on the farm. Unless the person using the quad is wearing a helmet and has done a quad safety course, they won’t be covered by insurance in the event of an accident.
Legally you must wear a helmet when you are on a quad. I was aware of this, but when you realise that if something happens to either you or someone working for you, you could leave yourself wide open to your insurance being void, then you get a real dose of reality. Quads are lethal in the wrong hands and young lads — and I was one myself —are pre-disposed to messing, so from now on, when it comes to riding the quad, they can only do so if they wear a helmet and have done a safety course. Otherwise, they’re walking. I would highly recommend getting your course done as soon as possible. Andrew Reilly Cohort Training runs them in Trim, and he is very thorough in the training that he gives, from practical side of riding the bike safely, to familiarising yourself with the mechanics of the quad bike.
Scanning went well and I have an average of 1.95 lambs per ewe. I’ve now separated all the ewes into their various groups. The singles are out, getting no meal, with triplets and doubles remaining in. I conditioned and scored the flock and was disappointed with the number of ewes that were thinner than I would have liked. It is better to spot this now rather than later, and I am putting this down to the wet winter we have had. There is no point in worrying about fluke being an issue because I got a faecal sample, and they came back clear for both rumen and liver fluke. The problem can be resolved by introducing feed now to thinner ewes and building up their condition prior to lambing, which isn’t due to take place until March 20. I have introduced the molasses feeders to all ewes except the singles which are out. Feeding molasses to pregnant ewes in the run up to lambing is highly effective at reducing issues such as twin lamb disease and prolapse. It is full of energy and takes up little space in their stomachs.
I am still slaving away at the ACRES tasks, and I must get 300 trees planted over the next month. ACRES has turned out to be a lot more expensive than I would have liked but I just have these few jobs to get sorted out and I don’t want to be trying to get them done when all hell breaks loose here during March.
The priority now is to get the ewes that are due to lamb thriving well, and sort out any issues they might have. I’ll give them their booster shot of heptavac P just before lambing. I try to hold off giving this for as long as possible, as it means they can also pass the immunity to their lambs in their colostrum. You get to cover not only the ewe but pass on a bit of cover to her lambs as well.
I am finishing the very last of last year’s lambs on meal. I capitulated and had to buy some meal to finish the lambs. I have avoided this for a long time this year, but unfortunately it is necessary if I want to get hoggets finished. The good news is, lamb prices are heading in the right direction. I wouldn’t be surprised if they exceed €8/kilo in March. Both Ramadan and Easter fall in March, and if there will ever be a high demand for lamb in 2024, it will be in March.
Fair play to the farmers protesting in Europe — I have a French student on the farm who we’ve nicknamed Napoleon. He’s a typically fiery French man. I think one word is the common denominator for what is causing the discontent amongst farmers in Europe, and it’s ‘Convergence’. For the last 20 years the CAP budget has been reducing, but EU policy makers want farmers to produce more, for less money, and work harder while they are it, while at the same time being held to the highest environmental standards in the world. The CAP budget was set up to compensate farmers to produce vast quantities of cheap, safe food and the EU needs to realise this goal — no matter how they try to dismantle it — remains the same. So, in the words of Napoleon, my French friend, ‘Allez Les Blues’.
I wouldn’t be surprised if lamb prices exceed €8/kilo in March