I farm: ‘‘130 acres of potatoes and 500 acres of grain near Ardee, Co Louth. Most of the land is leased.’’

This week: ‘‘Working between showers, I’m putting out a top dressing on the winter barley, which is 5% sulphur and 27% nitrogen. I’m spraying the winter barley too. I sowed the spring barley and spring oats two weeks ago but I’ve 100 acres spring barley left to sow. The weather is slowing that up a bit.’’

Potatoes: ‘‘The rain hasn’t affected my potatoes yet as I grow all main crop potatoes so they won’t be planted until mid-April. I mostly grow roosters but I do some Kerr’s Pinks and Golden Wonders. Potato sales are not what you would like at the moment and they can be expensive to grow.’’

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Variety: ‘‘This year, I used Lumos and JB Diego for winter wheat; there are 180 acres of that. I have 120 acres of cassia and volume winter barley. All 40 acres of spring oats is Barra. And the 160 acres of spring barley will be Mickle and Fairytale.’’

The Twist: ‘‘Three nights a week, I’m practising my dancing for a Strictly Come Dancing competition with Ardee Rugby Club on 12 April in Dundalk. There are 16 couples taking part in the opening song. Then I will perform The Twist with my dancing partner. It’s a bit more exciting than sitting in a tractor and I’ve lost one and a half stone since I started doing it. It’s fun to meet new people and there is a great spirit among the dancers. It can be hard to raise money but the local businesses have given us great sponsorship.’’

Family: ‘‘Wife Lorna and daughter Lee-Erin (10). Lee-Erin seldom sits in the tractor but she likes dancing! Lorna is a proper farmer’s wife and cooks the dinner every day.’’

Quotable Quote: ‘‘Potatoes are an expensive crop to grow. If you have a 15% to 20% reduction in planting, you will have a 15% to 20% reduction in price. You have to plant for the market as there are too many speculators.’’