Here’s an unlikely comparison; a corner back and a calving jack.

This week I’m finding myself slightly apprehensive when thoughts turn to calving 2015. It’s not that there’s anything to fear or worry about; merely the sour fruits of a wandering mind.

They’re familiar feelings. Some weeks ago I stepped onto the football field for the first time, after a sinister elbow break. I knew that I was fit; I knew that it’d healed well; I knew that I’d recovered from injury successfully before, and yet...

Until that first hit came; until that first shot found its way over the bar (still waiting for that one), my mind wouldn’t be at peace.

The same can be said for the oncoming calving season. We have an impeccable record; not one calf lost at birth in two years. We’re all set in terms of splitting animals, cameras, straw supplies and the nitty-gritty. There is nothing to be anxious about. However, like the excruciating wait for the first heavy tackle; the mind won’t be at ease until calf numero uno is bounding around the pen.

We’ve pushed the date back slightly this time around, with the first calf due on 3 March. In both 2013 and 2014 we ended up re-housing cows and calves as the ground cut up under them. Makeshift creep areas were formed outside the slatted pens (pictured) and though a serious effort was made to keep the environment clean and ventilated, it is no place for a new born calf. All going well, pushing the date back a fortnight will see cows and calves turning straight out onto dry, productive pastures.

The spread is just over eight weeks this year; something that we’ve improved on. When aiming for an age specific market with our bulls, uniformity is crucial. I’ve floated the idea of vasectomising the Holstein bull that I mentioned last week. Arming him with a chin-ball and sending him out with the cows will help prevent any heats being missed. Let’s face facts; there is no point putting 800kg of meal through him and getting him out at 16 months.

Our first calf due sired by LGL, a muscular Charolais popular in pedigree circles. To all those calving or waiting to calve, I wish the very best in the most crucial of times on any enterprise.

Beef prices are booming. Yet, my comment to a factory official this week that cattle must be scarce was rubbished. He agreed that it wasn’t exactly the cream of the crop going up the line; some of their beasts had more movements than Robbie Keane. I was informed that there were 31,000 cattle slaughtered in Ireland last week.

The Greek bailout and the €1.5 trillion in quantitative-easing measures have weakened the euro, making Irish exports attractive to our neighbours. Essentially, they’re now getting more ‘bang for their buck’. Let’s hope the euro doesn’t recover in time for our American conquests. What better marketing tool than low prices?

Is talk of optimism in the beef sector premature? Imagine, a suckler farmer with a positive outlook! This must be what it feels like to milk cows...