John Fagan: Grass tetany a big danger if we get a sudden burst of growth

Farewell to the winter and spring from hell. That wasn’t a lot of fun. We all have our stories to tell and it will live long in my memory.
The lambing itself went fine but we had to house ewes and lambs for nearly three weeks. So now I know what its like to lamb ewes in December.
I think that if you can, the best remedy for a year like that is to take a break, get away from it as soon as you can.
You need to get away from farming in a year like that after the storm has subsided, otherwise you get fed up, bitter and resentful of your job that is otherwise, the best job in the world.
That is possibly the best piece of advice anyone could give to a farmer in the aftermath of what is the worst winter in living memory.
Come back refreshed, don’t make any hasty decisions and you will weather the storm. Remember that you are the biggest asset the farm has and your health is the priority.
In the mean time, I have been able to let out sheep, get slurry and fertiliser out and hopefully as soon as the rise in temperature comes grass growth will kick off and the pressure will be off.
One thing I need to be vigilant about for now is grass tetany. I have had one case already, brought on by the sudden change in temperature and a ewe feeding two strong lambs.