The worst parts were the cows were coming in to milk and going back out into the fields – when you get the weight of a 500-600kg cow splodging on four six-inch square blocks or less being feet, they soon sink down into wet ground.
With the ground being so wet and cold the grass virtually stopped growing, the cows were really upset with all the rain and were sheltering under the trees for half the day, so these areas around the side of the field were more like mud baths – it was more like the beginning of December.
So we took them back inside and started feeding them full winter ration.
Even this was not straight forward as 15 to 20 of the cows objected to coming back in and wouldn't lay in the cubicles and preferred to lay on the concrete feed area and this created problems with mastitis.
One of those that preferred not to lie in the cubicles and did the splits – this is when the back legs go the opposite way to which they are intended.
We strapped her legs together but she still wouldn't get up, so we had to roll her into the front bucket of the tractor and carry her down to a silage field and layed her down in the field.
Then we got the prayer mat out and prayed she'd stand up soon.
She was up by the following morning but quite wary of going on the concrete, which creates bigger problems trying to milk her as the area into the milking parlour is all concrete.
The cows were inside for two to three weeks, which created far more problems than it solved.
We were heartened by the talk of price rises for the milk and were told if all the milk went into skimmed milk powder we'd be on 23p per litre, then even better, the spot price for tanker loads of milk would bring 28p per litre.
We looked forward to receiving a decent milk cheque for June's milk but were totally demoralised when the buyer only paid 13.9p per litre fo 20% of the milk.
Even this was better than May as we only received 10.6p per litre for 20% of the milk that we sent.
The other 80% they only paid 17p per litre for.
So who's taking the flaming Michael? *
NOW this might sound a bit 'double-Dutch'. We have about 20 blonde suckler heifers to calve between now and Christmas – their first cross from the black and white. At first we were going to suckle them for two to three months and sell them as a family unit.
Then we were going to keep them and reduce the dairy herd as the milk price was so bad.
The first four calved and all had heifer (female) calves. As the prices the calf will bring after suckling for a year would only be the same as it will cost to feed its mother, we are now bucket-feeding the calves and milking the blonde heifers into the tank with the freisans.
They will never produce as much milk as a black and white Holstein Freisian, but have settled into the milk herd really well and are milking surprisingly well too.
With all the extra work having the cows back inside we haven't got much further with the packing and grading of eggs, only now the packing area needs inspecting by the Environmental Health gang, but only since April or May.
I invited them out to inspect it to see if all was up to scratch, obviously not, after 1½ hours of briefing, conjuring, diagrams, sighing, more forms and more advice.
I did take exception to one comment they made that all these rules and regulations had been drawn up by farmers.
My cows don't produce this much muck, let alone a farmer sitting down and manipulating this much work out of weighing an egg then putting it in a box.
With the hens laying really well and not getting the packing side of it up and running we decided to try a local car boot sale, which we can do as long as the eggs are stamped. I would like to thank all those who bought our free-range eggs, but unfortunately we cannot return again, I think we're trying Pickering this Sunday.
And with foot and mouth again, there are easier ways for the powers that be to get rid of farmers if that's what they want.
* changed at editor's discretion.