We completed our mid-season scan on the cows two weeks ago and I am happy with how it went overall. Conception to first service is at 64%. We had three sets of twins and only one cow with an embryonic death that is now going on a wash-out programme. But unfortunately we already had eight cows repeat at around 50 days post-AI. The positive is that those cows had come back cycling themselves without any intervention and were all OK inside when scanned, so fingers crossed they hold now.

These early embryonic losses are hard to take. You can do everything right in terms of cow condition, heat detection, and timing, and still get these knockbacks. It’s one of the more disheartening sides of breeding.

The heifer scan was also positive enough considering the disaster the first round was. Some 63% held to the second service, so that still leaves us with nearly 80% due to calve in February. Hopefully the majority of the last 20% held to the third serve, but I am leaving the bull in longer to pick up any more. The way it has gone I think I would rather a few calving in April than not calving at all.

Grass growth is still holding up well here in Abbeyleix, all things considered. We’ve only had 7mm of rain in the last four weeks, and with the forecast pointing towards more dry, hot weather, things could tighten fairly quickly.

On the last grass measure, growth was at 95kg DM/ha/day, with a cover per cow of 246kg DM/LU. I had planned to take out two paddocks for bales, but I’ve pulled back on that. I will measure again this week but if the rain doesn’t come, I don’t think growth will be able to sustain it. The paddocks in question aren’t gone wild either – they were already baled earlier in the season, so the quality is still very good.

Covers on them were at 1,400 and 1,300kg DM/ha when measured, and they’ll be closer to 1,800 by the time the cows graze them. From previous dry spells, I’ve learned it’s better to pre-mow and graze these paddocks rather than bale them and end up with a big hole in the wedge when growth falls off.

Milk yield is holding steady at around 25 litres, with butterfat at 4.30% and protein at 3.76% on the last few collections. Somatic cell count (SCC) has settled back down nicely to around 100,000.

I attended a Farming for Water EIP farm walk two weeks ago, hosted by our discussion group member Seamus Brennan. The event was held on Seamus’s farm and it was a credit to him how well everything was presented. He put in serious effort preparing the place, and there was a strong turnout on the day.

There was a great mix of information around how farmers can take practical steps to protect water quality and maintain our nitrates derogation. It was clear that the EIP scheme has real potential to help farmers make changes without massive financial pressure, and it was good to hear about some of the supports available.Keeping the nitrates derogation in place is absolutely crucial for Irish dairy farming. Without it, the viability of many family-run farms would be seriously impacted. We need to continue applying pressure to our local, national, and European politicians to ensure they understand the real-world consequences of losing this vital allowance. Farmers are willing to play their part, but we need workable policy and sustained support to do so.

Overall, it’s been one of the better years in recent memory. Grass is behaving, cows are performing, and most jobs are ticking along nicely. Fertility is the one thorn in the side this year, but we’ll see what the scans say and take it from there.

Fingers crossed July brings more of the same – steady rain, a bit of sun, and no drama. Sure isn’t that all we’re after?