We began serving both cows and heifers on 20 April last year which means we would expect calving to start somewhere around 23 January. We have all the heavy lifting done at this stage, with just a calf shed and a bedded calving shed to sort out.

Because of all the extra cows on the farm this year, I have decided to invest in a second calving gate. Safe calving facilities are an absolute must on our farm because more often than not when a cow calves, especially at night, I’m the only man around. I know this is a less than ideal situation but I try to take all the precautions available, including always letting my wife know when I go down to the yard at night. If I happen to be down there for any sort of prolonged period of time I will regularly contact her through the night.

Information day

I’m planning on attending one of the calf rearing information days being organised by Animal Health Ireland at the end of the month. This should act as a refresher course and hopefully I’ll pick up a few useful tips ahead of the upcoming season. I’ll try to go to as many of these workshops and open days as possible during the year. Even if I only pick up a few small tips that I can implement on my own farm, it’s still time well spent.

New beginning

With 80% of our cows to calve by the end of February, it’s going to be a very busy time with long hours and short sleeps but I am looking forward to it all the same. There is something about the calving season that gives me a great buzz. I think it’s because calving signals the start of a new season and in some ways it gives us a fresh start and the opportunity to set targets and goals. It also allows us to learn from the previous year’s mistakes and protocols and systems in place that will prevent them from happening again. A rugby coach once said to me: “mistakes are a product of honest hard work, don’t waste them. Learn from them and never let it happen again!”

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