Slurry spreading: With thoughts turning to slurry spreading over the next two weeks, there are a few points to note. If agitating tanks, try to wait for a windy day to disperse slurry gas and never enter a shed when agitation is taking place. Try to agitate when there is another person around the yard or at least alert someone that you are completing the job. Remove all animals from sheds before agitating tanks.

Try to spread slurry on paddocks that are low in P and K, and silage fields as these fields have generally the lowest P and K values on the farm.

The spreading period opens up next Monday 13 January in Zone A, 16 January in Zone B and 1 February in Zone C.

Farmyard manure and chemical fertiliser is also included in this. In order to comply with cross-compliance and environmental regulations you cannot spread chemical fertilisers, livestock manure, soiled water or other organic fertilisers when the land is waterlogged, flooded (or it is likely to flood), or covered with snow.

You must not spread slurry if heavy rain is forecast within 48 hours (check the weather forecast prior to spreading). You cannot spread organic fertilisers or soiled water from a road or passageway, even if the road or passageway is on your own holding.

Lice: I have heard of a number of issues with lice in sheds. In one of these cases, lice was treated at housing. However, as treatments will only kill hatched lice, if a large proportion of eggs were present, a second treatment will be necessary.

Some products will also have a residual activity of just five to six weeks so second treatments may be needed where product was applied two months ago at housing. There are two types of lice that affect cattle: biting and suckling lice. Mange mites may also be an issue.

One thing farmers need to be aware of is that not all products that will kill suckling lice will kill biting lice. Pyrethroids and externally applied endectocides are the only two active ingredients that will kill both biting and sucking lice, and mange mites.

Signs of lice activity are cattle scratching and/or licking, poor coats, excess hair loss and, in some cases, anaemia.

Clipping cattle along the back and neck will also help ensure an accurate application of any pour-on dosing product.

Weanling performance: Are your weanlings performing on target? Weighing is the only foolproof way of knowing if they are gaining weight.

A lot of farmers will have weighed for BEEP in autumn, so it would be an interesting exercise to see what weight has been gained since the previous weighing.

A minimum of 0.7kg/day should have been gained over the winter period.

If weight gain is below this, check the diet, parasite burden, lying space, ventilation and feeding space for any potential issues.

Spring-born bulls destined for under-16-month bull beef shouldn’t dip under 1kg/liveweight gain/day at any point and should be hitting 1.3kg to 1.4kg/day over their lifetime. These animals should be stepping up to higher concentrates at this stage on most farms.