The farm: “I rear beef calves in Enfield, Co Meath, with my wife Trish and three children Anthony, 14, Ben, 12, and Paige, 10. We buy calves from a local dealer who sources them from dairy farms down south. He can get the square Angus- and Hereford-type calves that are best suited to our system. We aim to finish everything at 24 to 26 months.”

Family: “The children are very involved in farming. Anthony Jnr gets up at 6am to feed calves before getting the school bus. We would have had calves when I was young and the calf feeding was a great way to help out on the farm. The help is great when there are 50 calves to feed along with the bullocks.”

Young calves: “We find the first three months are the most important time in calf rearing. We need to get the milk replacer, the calf crunch and the vaccinations right to set the calf up for life. After that, we concentrate on getting good grass and meal into the calves to keep them thriving.”

Future plans: “Our aim now would be to rear 100 calves on an automated feeding system. You need the higher numbers to justify the cost of the machine. We will continue sourcing the same Angus-type calves from our dealer. Anthony Jnr, my eldest son, has a very keen liking for farming and this would encourage me to expand in the future.”

Study: “Anthony Jnr plans to study agricultural science for the Leaving Cert. He is also looking at gaining some experience in New Zealand. He would like to become a full-time farmer when older but it’s difficult to know if beef farming will be profitable in the future. In a mixed farming area, it would be nice to see beef farms continuing to have their place.”

Quotable quote: “There needs to be a roadmap for the next generation to be rewarded for work. Young people with the passion and interest need financial backing to start farming. Small family farms give great values to young people. These core values are at risk of being lost forever.”