Farm: “We farm dairy in Castletown, Co Meath. I work in partnership with my mam and dad, Marie and Micheál, and we’re currently milking 150 Jersey crossbreds. We farm 150ac, with 130ac owned and 20ac rented. It’s good-quality land and we cut our own silage from it every year.”

Weather: “The weather’s improving, which is hopeful. Up to this point, the bad weather has been a real headache. We’re fortunate that our land is not too heavy; we’ve had cows out on grass since February. Our biggest concern right now is getting a chance to cut silage, which we hope to do soon.”

TB: “We’re currently trying to increase our herd numbers, as last September we lost 60 cows to TB. It was a tough time, but we try to take the bad with the good. We‘ve had two clear tests since and hope to restore the herd to its original size. Because of this, we had plenty of silage to tide us over this year.”

Part-time farming: “I work full-time as an Irish and home economics teacher in O’Carolan College, Nobber, while farming part-time at home. I really enjoy farming, it’s a great way to disconnect from my full-time job.”

Student of the year: “I wasn’t expecting to win, but it was great. It felt like a reward for the hard work I’ve done. I plan to travel to New Zealand this summer with the prize money and visit some dairy farms to see how they run them out there.”

Discussion groups: “I’m part of the Royal Tara Discussion Group, an all-women’s dairy discussion group in Navan. We do farm walks every month – it’s a great tool to meet like-minded people and learn new things about dairy farming. I’ve made great friendships through it.”

Green Cert: “I earned my Green Cert in 2022, through Teagasc in Navan and Grange. It’s been a real asset to me; everything I’ve learned I’ve applied to the farm at home, such as grassland management and breeding strategy.”