Robert Abbott keeps a herd of 35 suckler cows on a single 30ha block of land near Edgeworthstown in Co Longford. At present, the herd’s calving pattern is split between spring (March-April) and late summer (July-August) and this aspect of Robert’s system is fast becoming the main subject of debate for the management team – when is the best time for Robert’s cows to calve?This year, 22 cows slot into the spring herd and 11 in summer. While split herds like this can help with cashflow, Robert is keen to move to a single calving period.