They proceeded to wheel the quad out the gate and when I arrived on the scene they legged it across the fields, leaving their van, with the quad half loaded, behind them.

The Gardaí arrived and the van has been seized, so I hope they catch them.

Quad and machinery thefts are plaguing rural Ireland. All these criminals are linked up and when we catch one group we will catch them all.

It would have been the third quad to have been stolen from my farm, and every year now I seem to be getting hit with some sort of robbery. Last year it was the GPS on the tractor.

I looked up the IFA’s ‘theft stop’ and I’m going to up my game even more with security. It’s worth informing yourself about some simple measures that you can take to protect your property.

You don’t have to spend a fortune either: simply mark your machinery and lock away securely any small items or tools that move. Take a look at theftstop.ie

Outdoor lambing in the rain was tough but my losses were kept low. There were some anxious moments looking at the heavy downpours blowing sideways across the fields, but ewes and lambs are unbelievably hardy, and at least it wasn’t too cold.

I had done my work in the run-up to lambing, the sheep were well fed, and in good condition.

Where losses were incurred, it wasn’t down to the weather — they nearly all could be blamed on the lack of milk in the ewe for various reasons such as mastitis or an older ewe not having much milk at all.

Milk and lack of it is the main killer of lambs on any sheep farm and the lesson I have learned is to reduce the amount of ewes over five years of age.

The hoggets have kicked off lambing and all is going well. I put them with an easy care ram and they’re popping out with little or no trouble. Some people hate the easy care and don’t rate them at all. I love them. They thrive well, weigh like lead when it comes to drafting, and the lambs are wild when they’re born. Mad for action.

Hardy with less labour input —what more could you ask for?

Remember, these hoggets are growing themselves as well as rearing a lamb, so feeding them pre- and post-lambing is essential. I go for a high-protein soya-based nut from Quinn’s which also brings on their milk — it’s worth the extra cost and you don’t need to feed as much.

The grass situation on the farm is superb, thanks to the mild wet weather, and the forecast is good for April. The worst is over.

One challenge now is grass tetany. Ewes are on lush grass, producing more and more milk so they’re under a bit of pressure. I have loads of magnesium buckets all over the farm, and I also put liquid magnesium into the water drinkers.

Again some folks have their doubts about this but it has reduced my incidence of tetany. I fill two-litre milk bottles with liquid magnesium and stab the sides with a knife and drop four of them into the field drinkers. It works for me and if you have trouble with tetany it’s worth trying.

As lambing draws to a close, my focus turns to reseeding and getting the place ready for fattening lambs. I plan to reseed and under-sow with tyfon. I’ve been doing this for the last few years and the result is fat lambs, good grass and no meal bill.

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John Fagan farms at Crookedwood, Co Westmeath