Stressed caused on farm by an unwelcome reaction
Recently we have conducted our annual TB test of all of our cattle herd.
Unfortunately we had a heifer which was a reactor to the test.
It is always a stressful time for us and the animals but a lot of credit must go to the vet who undertakes the test and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) who contacted us two hours after the heifer had reacted to the test and organised to collect her four days later. This efficiency is important to control spread of the disease.
We have had 11 calves born in a week. We bought a new Aberdeen Angus bull last year to help our Hereford and so far 10 calves are Angus with one being Hereford.
We have also had a healthy set of twins. The vet has helped to calve a smaller cow with a large calf and we calved another cow where the calf’s front left leg was back thus preventing the cow calving alone.
As soon as the TB test was complete all of the cows and last year’s heifer and steer calves were let out to grass, which was a happy moment for us and them.
However, after a few days and a cold end to April I am very conscious we will need to manage our grass going forward.
I am part of a small committee which is going to organise a series of events in Staffordshire next year to celebrate 100 years of NFU in the county. I feel very lucky to be part of this and don’t see why we shouldn’t aim for another 100 years!
All of our crops have now had their Nitrogen requirement. Father is finishing T0 sprays on the cereals and starting T1s.
We have planted our spring beans, a little later than planed and hope to plant our maize in the first week of May.
We also have some grass seeds to plant so we are hoping for some warmer weather with the odd shower to keep the grass lush.
Richard Bower farms at Penkridge
