I farm: “About 150 ewes and 12 cows. There are about 80ac, mainly rented. My grandad would’ve started off the farm and then I helped him.”

Sheep: “I have a commercial flock of Texel or Suffolk crosses that lamb around Christmas time. I also breed the pedigree Dutch Spotted sheep; I started them back in 2021. For early lambing, I found the Texel and Suffolk ewes were that bit better, thinking of good carcase lambs, getting them out a bit earlier for the spring lamb trade.

Dutch Spotted: “We tried the Dutch Spotted over the commercial ewes for the early lambing. At the time I thought I was a wee bit mad venturing into it because it wouldn’t have really been a big thing up this part of the world but we jumped into the deep end and haven’t looked back since. We usually run Texel rams onto the ewes or the Dutch Spotted as well.”

Flushing: “We were flushing last week which was a big part of the year, it sets you up if it goes well for the following year. I flush twice a year, there’s 10 pedigree Dutch Spotted and I flush usually four ewes but it’s pot luck.”

Lambing: “Over the next few weeks we will be getting the ewes prepped for lambing and sent to some winter grass before they will be brought home and housed. The embryos are usually collected in August and October with lambing at the end of January and beginning of March.”

Cattle: “They are all Charolais/Limousin crosses and we don’t keep a stock bull; it’s all AI. I find different bulls suit different cows that bit better so with the AI, you can play about. Just for that good top-end weanling, you can sell it again at the back-end of the year.”

Grass: “But more so, we keep them just to manage the grass along with the sheep. I just find if you mix graze, the lambs thrive a wee bit better after it and vice-versa for the cows because it keeps the ground a bit cleaner.”