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I farm: “A flock consisting of 100 ewes in Shinrone, Co Offaly. I love the farming life and find sheep enjoyable to work with.”
Family first: “I get great support from my mum and dad, Brendan and Georgina, and my brother Adrian. Although our flocks are completely separate, we work together getting the work done.”
Breeds: “Most of my ewes are Texel crosses. I have a Beltex ram which I find brings brilliant conformation to my lambs during growth. My parents had a Suffolk ram in the past but we found the lambs at birth were slow to suckle and get going. The Beltex is like the Belgian Blue of the sheep world in my view. I love the white face of the Texel sheep and find that they have a higher resistance to parasites.”
Working woman: “I work as a veterinary nurse in Tipperary town four days a week which allows me to fulfil my farming commitments during the remainder of the week. I find that having veterinary experience is a great advantage to running a farm enterprise. I’m a firm believer in preventative health care. To me, a healthy sheep is a happy sheep.”
Being prepared: “Being a part-time farmer, I find that I need to be extra-prepared for farming seasons such as the lambing season. I try to take the minimum amount of days off work during this time and hence need to compact my lambing. I engage in forward planning and recently met with my vet to do a flock health plan for the 2019 breeding season; less problems mean less labour on the farm for me and this is vital.”
Quotable quote: “I think we are all great for making to-do lists but it’s really important to include ourselves in that list and take time out for relaxation.”
My Farming Week: Eamon Cassells, Athboy, Co Meath
My Farming Week: Colin Bateman, Timoleague, Co Cork
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