I farm: “60ac of grassland, some of which is rented, alongside my husband Brian, and parents Terry and Collette just outside Moate.”

Cattle: “We have 20 suckler cows, some of which are commercial breeds, and we also keep pedigree beef Shorthorns. The two Shorthorn stock bulls run with the cows and we also use some AI Shorthorn or Belgian Blue straws for breeding. We look to breed for easy calving, good shape and easy thriving animals. We find the Shorthorns very docile and easy to handle, which makes calving time less stressful if I am on my own.”

Calving: “Our herd is spring calving, starting in January and runs until May. All cows are on slats before we move them to the calving shed. We rotate this, so they come back to the slats a while after calving. The Shorthorns tend to calve on their own; calves are lively and are often up within and hour or so to suck.”

Future plans: “We will be picking out some calves that we might bring to some shows. The calves are well looked after – nearly better than ourselves – and are very quiet. We will be spending time with them, training them and giving them good feed. We have had good health on the farm so far, with no outbreaks of disease, so I hope this continues for the years ahead.”

Shorthorn society: “I was recently elected president of the Shorthorn society. I hope to keep the future bright and keep the society thriving in a positive direction in the interest of the members for its 20th anniversary this year. My main goal is to have a good society for future generations and Shauna Mulhall, the secretary, is a great asset. The society is looking forward to hearing back from March onwards from those who received straws from the breed a roan scheme.”