I farm: “Sixty purebred Simmental suckler cows with my father Peter. We have a split calving herd system, with 40 calving in the spring and the rest calving in the autumn. We might look into getting another few cows, but I’m only a part-time farmer. I also teach woodwork in the secondary school in Cootehill.”

Teaching: “The time off is great. I wouldn’t be into going off on holidays or anything. I work on the farm whenever I’m off.”

This week: “We’re feeding the cattle silage, and doing maintenance around the farm. Last week, we did a bit of winter dosing. It is quiet enough this time of year. We’ll cut back the spring calvers in the coming weeks.”

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Ration: “We use Hanlon Mix Ration with 17% protein. It’s €290/t. The calves are feeding on ad-lib silage and 0.25kg per head per day.”

The weather: “We didn’t get it too bad here. There were others much worse off than us. We usually let the calves in and out to the fields, but we couldn’t do that this week with the rain. The combination of meal and fresh grass gives better weight gain, around 0.95kg a day.”

Selling: “We’ll be selling the calves in May, when they’re around seven months old and weighing 350kg plus. We usually sell in Kingscourt in Cavan. You’d be looking for over €900. We keep on the best heifers to put in calf and sell privately on the farm. You’re looking at around €2,000 for an in-calf heifer.”

Suckler farming: “It’s sustainable, but only if you have a good enough name. If you don’t have the right breeding, you needn’t be at it otherwise. We only have one breed, and the same people come back every year.”

Family: “There’s my father Peter, my mother Teresa, and my three sisters Brenda, Elaine and Suzanne.”

Quotable quote: “As long as there are two men in this world, there’s always going to be backhanders.”