What a relief! The little white book has turned up. We were going out for our tea with Colm, Elaine and Peter. Tim put his hand in his jacket pocket and there it was. I ranted about all the searching I’d done and how reluctant I was to tell the very person that had the book.

As you might remember from last week’s column, my panic to find the all-important little white book had led me to the bins. I unenthusiastically emptied the big farm bin.

I straightened out all the paper bags from the replacer and cut and flattened several boxes. When I was done, a full bin was then only two-thirds full. Those that are filling the bin could do a much better job... but I still didn’t find the little white book.

The funny thing was that my memory of when the book went missing was all wrong. I had actually given it to Tim myself when he was having visitors to the farm. The saga went on for three weeks. The ICBF record book will be under my pillow next year and will have to be wrestled from me.

During the meal, Tim and Colm were doing calculations in their heads. Tim said, “If I could write it down, I’d be quicker. Kay, have you a notebook?” He was quickly informed that I’d never be loaning any notebook to him again.

The digs were given at any chance we got for a few days and we’d a few good laughs. It was quickly forgotten with the good weather providing the opportunity for other spring work to be done.

Reseeding was top of the agenda. Good grass and clover swards are essential for sustaining milk production. It is important to keep reseeding every year and we don’t want to have too much ground out of the system for any length of time. We tend to reseed according to need where the ryegrass concentration has dropped. That means the feeding value is depleted. The last few weeks have provided ideal reseeding conditions. Where necessary, the grass was burned off and the ground limed.

Stitching seed

David Helen, my daughter Julie’s husband, is our stitching man. Not all ground is suitable for stitching in grass seed and clover, especially if there is a lot of trash on top of the ground. Where the ground is suitable, the paddocks are back in the grazing cycle several weeks faster than with the conventional method of ploughing, tilling, planting and rolling.

It is also better for the environment as ploughing ground releases carbon. Here in Woodside, 14ac of the grazing platform were stitched with a high clover and rye grass mix.

We were short some clover and grass seed as the lads decided to do a bit more ground with the weather so favourable.

Julie was dispatched to bring the seed. My grandson Ricky was in his element coming to deliver grass seed to Woodside. He got to go to the field with Tim where Pat Kennedy was stitching. The mix used was 8kgs Nashota ryegrass, 2kgs white clover, 1kg red clover, 1kg Bowie ryegrass and 1kg of Astonenergy ryegrass.

The heifers had been strip grazing 12ac of hybrid rape and silage bales over the winter. That was ploughed, limed and reseeded.

Another batch of calves left the shed this morning, lightening that workload a little. As I came out of the shed, the much awaited fertiliser was being delivered. Apparently, it is hard to get at the moment.

Meanwhile, Gearóid Harrington was waiting in the wings to spread it as he drove in shortly afterwards. All of these jobs bring energy and vibrancy to farming. It is much more that the seasons changing. It is a sense of achievement and boxes ticked.

kkoleary@gmail.com