Cow tracks a useful winter project

Cows wading in mud up to their hocks as they did the twice-daily trek from field to milking parlour were not uncommon last summer.

The incessant rain reduced earthen tracks to a quagmire, one of the reasons that, in some cases, herds were brought back to their winter quarters in the cubicle shed until ground conditions improved.

The summer rain was a costly nightmare, with reduced milk yields as well as poorer quality, fields cut up and grass crops unharvested, as the deluge continued.