I farm: “125 acres of my own land and lease out roughly another 90 acres on the Roscommon-Leitrim border where some of the land is good, and some is heavy. I supply all my milk to Aurivo.”

Cows: “I keep 55 high-yielding pedigree Holstein cows in the Liscolvin Herd and 15 pedigree Angus cows. When it comes to stock, I keep all Friesian heifers, and select some bulls for breeding and sale.”

Milk price: “I’m happy enough with the milk price at the minute. It needs to beat last year’s price and stand at around 33.5c/l to 34c/l. That way, you’re covering your costs and making money too. That’s important.”

Calving: “I mostly do spring calving. The cows that don’t go in calf are served again in December and calved in autumn, usually around September/ October time as I have a liquid milk contract with Aurivo.”

Cow performance: “Overall cow performance is very good and I am extremely happy with it. I have won awards for their performance in the past and I hope to keep this up.”

Awards: “I won the overall champion herd award for the West Midlands Friesian Breeder Club for the second year in a row. I also won overall champion cow and the best heifer. This is based 50% on milk production, and 50% on the judge’s opinion.”

Family: “My family are very active on the farm. My wife Geraldine and my sons Paul (27) and Colm (28) all help on the farm when they can.”

GAA: “Both of my sons were involved in Roscommon football and won a minor All-Ireland in 2006. We’re looking forward to a good game with Mayo this weekend. It was brilliant winning the Connacht championship but nothing would top beating Mayo.”

Quotable quote: “Working on my farm is a full-time job but it’s also very rewarding to have your herd up and running efficiently. My achievements give a good balance between the hard work and the end goal I want to reach. I also really enjoy breeding and showing our cattle.”