Mary Kate and Richard Doyle, Rathnure, Co Wexford
Mary Kate: "We're suckler to beef, sheep and horses. Currently, I work two days a week in WFC Enniscorthy Mart, I milk a few evenings in the week for a farmer over the road and then I'm farming home as well.
"The evenings suit me better than going in the mornings, at least this way I can do stuff at home in the mornings before I go."
Richard: "The weather this year was very difficult, it was hard to get silage let alone hay. We'd have around 20 National Hunt horses and 50 or 60 sheep, as well as around 25 sucklers.
"We finish the cattle usually and take them to the mart or the factory. Mart prices have been all right.
"I didn't enter any of the schemes this year. We didn't go into the suckler scheme, the ACRES scheme and we left the sheep scheme too. We were in all the schemes last year, but this year it just didn't suit."
Oliver and Christine O'Hara, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim
"We have 30 cows and about 120 ewes. The worst thing this year was the weather, it was just a horrible bad year from the very start.
"You have increased costs as well, which isn't helping the thing either.
"Weanling prices are good at the minute. Hopefully, they stay and they last over the winter and into the spring. They need to be where they are.
"We're in all the schemes, they're critical for our income. At the end of the day, it's just not in it otherwise. You have to get involved in as many of them schemes as you can.
"The new ACRES scheme in comparison to the old REPS is a lot more work. It's more work, it's more paper work, it's more meetings, but what can you do, you can't do without it."
Michael Barry, Herbertstown, Co Limerick
"I work off-farm in a feed mill, but do calf to beef along with it.
"The prices of everything this year is up, all your input costs are up, but the finish price is still up and down. It kind of climbed a bit there recently.
"The weather in the last couple of weeks has meant that ground conditions are poor, it's not great now at the minute.
"My off-farm income is the bread and butter, I wouldn't be surviving off the calf to beef - it's there, but it wouldn't pay the bills."
Mary Kate and Richard Doyle, Rathnure, Co Wexford
Mary Kate: "We're suckler to beef, sheep and horses. Currently, I work two days a week in WFC Enniscorthy Mart, I milk a few evenings in the week for a farmer over the road and then I'm farming home as well.
"The evenings suit me better than going in the mornings, at least this way I can do stuff at home in the mornings before I go."
Richard: "The weather this year was very difficult, it was hard to get silage let alone hay. We'd have around 20 National Hunt horses and 50 or 60 sheep, as well as around 25 sucklers.
"We finish the cattle usually and take them to the mart or the factory. Mart prices have been all right.
"I didn't enter any of the schemes this year. We didn't go into the suckler scheme, the ACRES scheme and we left the sheep scheme too. We were in all the schemes last year, but this year it just didn't suit."
Oliver and Christine O'Hara, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim
"We have 30 cows and about 120 ewes. The worst thing this year was the weather, it was just a horrible bad year from the very start.
"You have increased costs as well, which isn't helping the thing either.
"Weanling prices are good at the minute. Hopefully, they stay and they last over the winter and into the spring. They need to be where they are.
"We're in all the schemes, they're critical for our income. At the end of the day, it's just not in it otherwise. You have to get involved in as many of them schemes as you can.
"The new ACRES scheme in comparison to the old REPS is a lot more work. It's more work, it's more paper work, it's more meetings, but what can you do, you can't do without it."
Michael Barry, Herbertstown, Co Limerick
"I work off-farm in a feed mill, but do calf to beef along with it.
"The prices of everything this year is up, all your input costs are up, but the finish price is still up and down. It kind of climbed a bit there recently.
"The weather in the last couple of weeks has meant that ground conditions are poor, it's not great now at the minute.
"My off-farm income is the bread and butter, I wouldn't be surviving off the calf to beef - it's there, but it wouldn't pay the bills."
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