In pictures: our favourite images from 2018

Lecturer Anthony Sweeney and two of his students, Thomas Cody from Piltown, Co Kilkenny, and Ciaran Bagnall from Allenwood, Co Kildare, moving 10-day-old calves on the farm at Kildalton Agricultural College in Piltown, Co Kilkenny. \ Ramona Farrelly

Fourteen-year-old Josh Meade from Slane, Co Meath, with his New Zealand Huntaway working dog Jonesy. Josh is training her to work with his flock of 40 mixed Llyen and Texel sheep. Jonesy is a working and barking sheepdog and gave birth to a litter of pups seven weeks ago. \ Ramona Farrelly

Sean Mannion showing his neice Katie Holian newborn lambs on the family farm at Abbeyknockmoy, Co Galway. The lambs were born to a Charolais ewe and were sired by a Suffolk ram. \ Dave Ruffles

Matthew Slevin and his brother Brendan from Streamtown, Co Westmeath, delivering a calf. Calving season is a busy time on the farm with 200 cows calving in 2018. Matthew says finding suitable labour is a difficulty for him but the two brothers call upon each other when needs must as they farm close to one another in Westmeath. \ Philip Doyle

Mart hand Cecil O'Neill keeping an eye on cattle leaving the ring at the weekly sale at Baltinglass Mart. \ Philip Doyle

Michael Fennin of Willie Fennin and Sons Contractors cultivating soil ahead of sowing spring barley in Athy, Co Kildare. \ Philip Doyle

Eighty-year-old Tommy Doughty feeding some of his 80 sheep in his yard at Cloughbelly, Mullagh, Co Cavan. \ Ramona Farrelly

William Irwin from Seefin, Bailieborough, Co Cavan, is a beef and sheep farmer. He enjoys showing cattle also and had a champion in the Castleblaney Show last year. \ Philip Doyle

Joe Healy is a beef farmer near Athboy, Co Meath, and is one of the representatives on the Irish Farmers Journal and Teagasc BETTER farm programme. He farms 44 hectares, split into two blocks. \ Barry Cronin

Ray Johnson from Listuff, Co Cavan, checking on his herd of sucklers. \ Philip Doyle

Contractor Michael Cooney from Ballyhooly, Co Cork, wholecropping spring barley that he sold to local dairy farmer Kevin Twomey. Michael is driving his John Deere 8600 and is using a Quickcut disc header and Kernelstar proccessor. \ Donal O'Leary

A sea of bales on the Kelly family farm near Athy, Co Kildare. Conor Kelly was tasked with moving the bales of barley. The Kellys also grow gluten-free oats, rapeseed and wheat but their main crop is barley. \ Claire-Jeanne Nash

Contractor Adrian Lewis from Skibbereen and driver Conor O’Reilly from Sherkin Island making their annual visit to Cape Clear by ferry to cut silage for the resident farmers on the island. Cape Clear Island is Ireland’s southernmost inhabited island. It is three miles long by one mile wide and lies eight miles off the coast of west Cork. Over four days, Adrian and Conor cut grass and baled over 70 fields. The convoy travelled over to the island on the Sabrina 11 carrier from Baltimore Pier. \ Valerie O'Sullivan

Roger Fahy runs the Linnalla Farm ice cream brand and café along with his wife Brid in New Quay, Co Clare. All the milk from the cows on the farm is made into ice cream, which is then sold in the café. The brand was featured as part of the Irish Farmers Journal's Wild Atlantic Way focus on Co Clare. \ Philip Doyle

Sheep farmer Kieran Doona, who farms at Coornameana, Glencar, Co Kerry, finally getting to move his hoggets to the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks. Help is on hand from his father Donal, brother Shane and friend Jack O’Connor. Kieran is the fifth generation of Doonas with ownership of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks. This year the farm had 300 ewes in lamb. \ Valerie O'Sullivan

Brian Prendergast moving some of his Scotch ewes from the Knockmeldown Mountains along the Waterford-Tipperary border near Lismore. Brian farms 300 ewes that lambed from late April onwards with all lambs sold as stores in Cahir Mart. Brian also milks 30 cows. \ Donal O'Leary