Sustainable farming encompasses three pillars - social, environmental and economic. During the busy springtime, social sustainability becomes very important to ensure that what can be a stressful time on farms runs smoothly.

Tullamore Farm manager Shaun Diver goes through the different measures that will be put into place over the coming weeks on the farm to ensure that lambing and calving are as successful as possible.

There are 85 cows due to calve and 270 ewes due to lamb, which means springtime on the farm will be a hectic few months.

Lambing is due to begin when the bulk of calving is over on the farm.

The first lambs are expected around 12 March and by then the farm will be six weeks into calving.

Some cows and calves will hopefully be out to grass then, which will reduce the workload around the yard, says Shaun.

Student help

Tullamore Farm will also be taking students from UCD and other agricultural colleges. These play a big part in reducing the labour requirement on Shaun and help the busy period run more smoothly on the farm.

However, Shaun will be on call during the busy spell and highlights the importance of taking time to rest on a quiet day.

"This is like our harvest now, we have to work hard, put our heads down," he said.

"It's important to take rest when you can get it. If there is a slow day, don’t be afraid to take time and rest up, because there will be busy periods ahead."

There will also be a night lamber brought in for three or four nights a week once lambing kicks off.

There are also calving cameras installed in the main calving shed and more are due to be installed in the new shed in the next week.