Last year was a year of weather extremes. From all that snow in the spring, to the drought in the summer, it was not something any of us are used to, or prepared for.
I enjoyed it however. I’ve never seen such snow, some of the drifts were taller than me. The hot dry summer was also something quite unique, spending weeks in shorts is something I could get used to!
On the farm, things are going well. Some of the cattle, the cows and stores have been housed, while the weanlings are enjoying life outside on a fodder crop.
Fodder crop
This is our third year with a fodder crop, and it works really well, as long as it’s not too wet.
Heavy mud can make moving the electric fence each day a much more difficult chore.
The cows were scanned in early December and the results were excellent.
We were very pleased to have 32 cows out of 33 in calf, especially since we use a 10-week breeding season.
We’re hoping to get this down to an eight-week one next year.
We were very pleased to have 32 cows out of 33 in calf
The reason for this is really for time management.
It is also easier to manage a batch of calves and weanlings that are of a similar age and size.
The ewes only get four weeks with the ram and they will be scanned later this month.
April is the month for calves and lambs on our farm, when the days are longer and hopefully a little warmer.
Yardwork
I was in the yard with my dad last week, bedding the cattle and treating them for copper deficiency.
Our land is low in copper – we know this from soil tests – so, twice a year, we give them a copper bolus. This is easier said than done and farmers need to be fairly fit and strong to do it safely.
We also treated them for lice, which becomes a problem at this time of the year when they are all in closer proximity to each other.
Funny thing was, we were one short when we were finished.
We couldn’t figure out why this was, when we saw the smallest weanling frolicking around in the field beside us – it had jumped out through the barrier!
We had a nice surprise over Christmas when a horse we bred won a Grade 2 hurdle race at Leopardstown.
He’s called Rocky Blue and we sold him to his trainer Tom Mullins in 2016.
He has an entry for the Triumph Hurdle in Cheltenham in March, so hopefully he’ll progress on for that.
Tom’s son Charlie is in my year at school, so it’s a small world.
Exams
Another nice surprise for me (and for my parents) was to find out I had achieved a distinction in my Grade 5 piano exam, which I took in December.
I am grateful to my piano teacher Ryan McNeill in Tullamore for all his extra help last term. Grade 6 beckons now.
I’m in my Junior Cert year and I have mocks coming up at the end of January, so it’s time to keep the head down, focus on my work and do the best I can.
Charlie Hackett is a 15-year-old from Geashill in Co Offaly, where he lives with his two younger sisters, Poppy and Heidi, and his younger brother, George. His parents, Mark and Pippa, both work on the farm, producing organic beef and sheep, and along with a few horses, chickens, dogs and cats, it is a busy family farm. Charlie is a third-year student at Kilkenny College and boards there during the week.
Last year was a year of weather extremes. From all that snow in the spring, to the drought in the summer, it was not something any of us are used to, or prepared for.
I enjoyed it however. I’ve never seen such snow, some of the drifts were taller than me. The hot dry summer was also something quite unique, spending weeks in shorts is something I could get used to!
On the farm, things are going well. Some of the cattle, the cows and stores have been housed, while the weanlings are enjoying life outside on a fodder crop.
Fodder crop
This is our third year with a fodder crop, and it works really well, as long as it’s not too wet.
Heavy mud can make moving the electric fence each day a much more difficult chore.
The cows were scanned in early December and the results were excellent.
We were very pleased to have 32 cows out of 33 in calf, especially since we use a 10-week breeding season.
We’re hoping to get this down to an eight-week one next year.
We were very pleased to have 32 cows out of 33 in calf
The reason for this is really for time management.
It is also easier to manage a batch of calves and weanlings that are of a similar age and size.
The ewes only get four weeks with the ram and they will be scanned later this month.
April is the month for calves and lambs on our farm, when the days are longer and hopefully a little warmer.
Yardwork
I was in the yard with my dad last week, bedding the cattle and treating them for copper deficiency.
Our land is low in copper – we know this from soil tests – so, twice a year, we give them a copper bolus. This is easier said than done and farmers need to be fairly fit and strong to do it safely.
We also treated them for lice, which becomes a problem at this time of the year when they are all in closer proximity to each other.
Funny thing was, we were one short when we were finished.
We couldn’t figure out why this was, when we saw the smallest weanling frolicking around in the field beside us – it had jumped out through the barrier!
We had a nice surprise over Christmas when a horse we bred won a Grade 2 hurdle race at Leopardstown.
He’s called Rocky Blue and we sold him to his trainer Tom Mullins in 2016.
He has an entry for the Triumph Hurdle in Cheltenham in March, so hopefully he’ll progress on for that.
Tom’s son Charlie is in my year at school, so it’s a small world.
Exams
Another nice surprise for me (and for my parents) was to find out I had achieved a distinction in my Grade 5 piano exam, which I took in December.
I am grateful to my piano teacher Ryan McNeill in Tullamore for all his extra help last term. Grade 6 beckons now.
I’m in my Junior Cert year and I have mocks coming up at the end of January, so it’s time to keep the head down, focus on my work and do the best I can.
Charlie Hackett is a 15-year-old from Geashill in Co Offaly, where he lives with his two younger sisters, Poppy and Heidi, and his younger brother, George. His parents, Mark and Pippa, both work on the farm, producing organic beef and sheep, and along with a few horses, chickens, dogs and cats, it is a busy family farm. Charlie is a third-year student at Kilkenny College and boards there during the week. 
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