The farm has the capacity to finish 5,000 cattle per year. They also grow maize, barley and wheat on 320 hectares. They buy in cattle and finish them under 22 months. Barbara is in charge of paper work, weighing cattle when they arrive and selecting cattle for the factory. She says she loves her job as she has the perfect mix of office and outdoor work.

Before she got married, Barbara’s husband John presented her with an in-calf pedigree Charolais heifer for Christmas. The heifer, Ava, gave birth to a male calf that went on to win rosettes in a few local shows.

Ava was the start of Barbara and John’s pedigree herd. But with two small children, Sean (four) and Eimear (two), and another on the way, they no longer have time to train in calves and bring them to all the shows. They have 10 pedigree Charolais and finish 200 cattle every year. John also grows 300 acres of carrots and has 500 acres of tillage.

Barbara’s days are hectic to say the least. She picks up the children from their babysitter at half six in the evenings and go straight to the shed. They have their own forks and help Barbara to feed the cattle.

Barbara says: “The kids really love to farm and won’t let me drive past the yard gate without going in to see the cattle.”

Barbara’s current job is a far cry from her childhood home in Kilcock, Co Kildare, where they milked cows with a bucket plant. She recalls carrying grain into the cows and buckets of milk out to the tank as there was no pipeline.

She got her Green Cert from Warrenstown Agricultural College and did a three-year farm apprenticeship. Over the three years she milked a 100-cow herd in Co Tipperary, 200 pedigree Holstein Friesians in Co Kildare and 300 cows in Co Meath.

Barbara has held a number of positions in Macra Na Feirme over the years, including county competitions chair and YFDG chair in Meath.

She rejoined again recently to take part in a Know Your Ag quiz and is enjoying Macra’s vibrant social calendar once again.