Farm diary: Welcome rain washes off the dust of a hot summer

Another very sunny week which was very pleasant indeed as temperatures were slightly lower, but rain was on its way and was already falling in other parts of the country.

Rain was forecasted in our area too but we seemed to miss it each time until Saturday night when some very steady rain arrived which was much needed.

We have managed to keep Crouchlands green with our dirty water but the hot dry weather was preventing real growth, and that might now change.

The maize badly needed a drink, and the end of July is good timing as the cobs form and the plants need moisture in order to fill the grain.

Sunday morning had that very fresh smell, all the dust washed off plants and trees and the little birds were chirping away very happily. We moved heifers on Saturday morning to some fresh grass and hopefully it will last them a little longer now, giving other fields time to grow and provide grazing next month.

This cooler weather will be good for the dairy cows as they struggle in the heat, dropping about a litre a day during the hot weather as intakes fall. Just as we tend to eat less when it’s hot, they don’t have the same appetite either and it is very difficult to keep their food fresh as it heats up and becomes unpalatable very quickly. This means that troughs need to be cleaned out very often, three or four times a week and that is a pretty warm job I can tell you.

Silage clamps are difficult to manage especially maize, and we hope that when we change to the ‘Ag-Bag’ silage, which will have a much smaller silage face, it will be easier to keep things cool.

The contractors did not want rain, but they have had a good run and they are at least now working on a concrete platform as they begin to form the base of the tank.

Just as before, a plastic sheet is put down on the concrete working platform and a felt material is placed under very thick insulation, before tonnes of weldmesh is very carefully placed on blocks so that it ends up in the middle of the tank floor as reinforcement when the concrete is poured. This is slow laborious work, but once the tank floor is constructed things will move very fast and we should see a real difference each week once the cranes arrive to lift the concrete panels which will form the tank wall, into place.