Still lacking SFP money.

Richard Thomas farms 320ha (800 acres) as a family partnership at Lands End in west Cornwall. The farm supports 250 dairy cows, 100 followers and 200 beef cattle

To start this month there is good news and bad news. The good news is a clear TB test at Halwyn for all beef and youngstock. The bad news is the imminent third retest of one cow that has led to movement restrictions from the dairy holding all winter.

We need to be clear before spring turnout when we move all this winter's calves to Halwyn. There is further bad news in the lack of SFP or even an unauthorised entitlement statement. This would give some hope that a payment is at least in the pipeline.

Early turnout of youngstock was a little premature, but after a couple of weeks of wet weather things are now drying up. Grass is starting to grow and we will be looking to get a group of lower yielding cows and youngstock out as soon as possible.

It's too late to put any more slurry on grassland. One grass field will be drilled with maize and so is a valuable outlet for slurry. However we are in an NVZ and would not want to break regulations.

Getting some animals out will also ease major foot problems, such as slurry heel and digital dermatitis. Regular foot bathing keeps them under control but, it is always good to get cattle out where they belong.

Following the health trend, most mastitis cases over winter have been from a number of repeat offenders. Some of these are quite decent cows, but despite lab tests and a range of drugs we have had to bite the bullet and cull some. Of course we're now paying strict attention to long forgotten meat withdrawals for cows.

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Edited by Jonathan Long, 020 8652 4922