Although the rapidly lengthening days would tend to suggest spring is coming, the weather the last few weeks would indicate otherwise. That said it really has been a very mild winter so far and I don’t think the grass has ever really stopped growing.

Although May and first cut silage is still a distant prospect, we’ve been thinking about how we can get the best out our slurry to try and mitigate the high fertiliser prices. We’ve considered using slurry bugs a couple of times in the past but have always been a bit reticent because we use sand as bedding in the cubicles.

Our worry was that the solids in the slurry probably help keep some of the sand that gets into the slurry suspended. So, by adding bugs to digest this dry matter will we see the sand settle quicker? Although this would obviously balance against the fact that by eliminating the crust in the slurry tower, we might not have to get it mixed as often.

The other fact that has pushed us towards trying bugs is that the slurry certainly seems to be more potent in terms of slurry gas this year. We use a “BW clip” meter to check H2S levels when we mix the tanks and the alarm certainly seems to be going off much more frequently this year. Hopefully the bugs will use this sulphur source as they grow and make it bioavailable to the grass when the slurry gets spread.

Those of you with good memories will remember that back in July last year I mentioned that we had a cow which gave birth to triplets – the first time in my mother’s long dairy career any of our cows have produced three. Well, last month we had a second set although unfortunately we were caught more by surprise so lost the first calf, but the other two seem to be doing well.

We’ve had quite a year for multiple births though with 24 in total in 2021 representing over 7% of all calvings (more than one in 12 when it came to multiparous cows). Unlike sheep farming where twins and even triplets are seen as a boon for us it is anything but.

These cows are likely to: have given less milk late on in the previous lactation as they grow and maintain the extra calf; are much more prone to metabolic diseases such as ketosis early in the new lactation as they will have poorer body condition and are also more likely to have metritis (uterine infection/inflammation) post-calving especially as most often they will need assistance at calving. Although we can try and mitigate some of the problems (eg, using Kexxtone boluses precalving to help with metabolic disease), for the most part there isn’t really much we can do other than be extra vigilant for potential issues and treat them accordingly. All of which means both extra costs in terms of both labour and most likely antibiotics for these cows.

Some cows do seem to manage to take it all in their strides though. One of our cows “1342” is coming to the end of her fifth lactation having had two sets of twins but has managed to produce just under 100tonnes of milk.

On the subject of exceptional cows, last month we were pleased to see two more cows reach 130tonnes of total lifetime milk, earning themselves a 'Rosebowl' from Holstein UK. This now means that currently four of the herd have past that mark, with a further 11 having passed the 100tonnes mark.

In many respects seeing cows pass these landmarks is more pleasing than our performance in the NMR Annual Production Reports as having cows with long productive lives is surely the aim of any dairy farmer.

That said, productive is fine but only alongside profitability! So, it is good to see that the milk price is maintaining its slow ascent as we try and contend with rising input costs. Hopefully we don’t see too much a spring flush this year and the upward pressure on the price is sustained.