Calving preparations are under way here with the first group moved to the calving shed. The first is due at the start of February so a group of 10 has been moved in and are on a nighttime feeding regime.

Rotavirus vaccinations were given at the start of the month and cows will receive a pneumonia vaccine in the run-up to calving to pass immunity on to calves.

With cows and calves mixed in the same shed, a different approach is taken to that recommended for dairy calves.

The vaccines are a necessary expense here as they provide an insurance policy against those diseases and reduce potential for stress on man and beast at what is the busiest and most important time of year on this farm.

Increased calf mortality means reduced sales next year. It is also one of the most dangerous times as cows are at their most unpredictable. There’s a handful of troublesome cows left which I hope to have moved on by the end of the year.

2014 saw an unfortunately high number of people losing their lives because of farm accidents.

Last year farm safety awareness day was on 21 July. The following six weeks on social media bore witness to just how far we have to go in terms of improving safe behaviour on farms.

The Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association ice bucket challenge was a unique fundraiser and a worthy cause. However, talk of farm safety was swiftly forgotten, judging by the amount of videos of people on farms standing under loader buckets and even behind slurry tanks. It was irresponsible and reckless.

Before Christmas, I attended a calf-naming ceremony in a local school as part of a cattle-rearing competition. It was a great bit of promotion for agriculture and it was great to see a bit of agriculture awareness in an urban setting, but one thing annoyed me about it.

One of the agricultural speakers said none of the girls will go on to be farmers.

Why not? If a young person wants to go farming they should be allowed to follow their ambition. Equally, and possibly more importantly, if they don’t want to farm, they shouldn’t be forced to.

Some parents are adamant that the land has to stay in the family or in the family name and the consequences are never thought out. Pride overrules other factors. There are people farming that don’t want to and this can be very unhealthy.

Tragically, some people can only see one way out. Farming is one of those jobs that you need a bit of a grá for. Not everything goes to plan when working with weather, animals and the marketplace. The stress of dealing with these can be too much for some. Farming can be a fantastic career choice or a life sentence. It depends on the individual.

My uncle was killed in a workplace accident over 30 years ago. Growing up, I witnessed the effect it had on the family. I’m friends with people who have tragically lost family members to suicide. More often than not, you don’t know what to do or say to comfort people in these circumstances. It’s something I don’t have the answer to, but feel it’s an issue that can’t be ignored.

Those involved in Embrace FARM and those sharing their heartbreaking stories need to be commended for having the courage and leadership to set up such an initiative. I sincerely hope we as Irish farmers can all do our bit to reduce fatalities in our workplace in 2015.