I Farm: "150 acres in Crossneen, Co. Carlow. I lease the holding from my father. We till all the land now having kept animals on the farm for a number of years."

This week: “We hope to start ploughing so that we can sow our malting barley crop. We are roughly one month back on last year’s sowing date so we need to get it in the ground as soon as we can. We supply Boortmalt with the barley. We are also spreading fertiliser on the oilseed rape and winter wheat and spraying the oilseed rape for weeds."

Farming: "My husband Padraig looks after the farming end of things. He also owns a farm in Myshall, Carlow where he keeps sheep and beef. He also buys foals and keeps them until they are about three years old. Together we have a nice mix of enterprises."

Ulster Bank: "I work full time with Ulster Bank as senior agricultural manager so I find that tilling the land allows me more time to work in the long evenings of the summer when the work needs to be done."

Work: "As senior agricultural manager, a large part of my job involves visiting farms across the country providing finance for agri sector applicants. From my travels, the main activity in agriculture at the moment is definitely in the dairy, pig and poultry sectors."

Family: "Husband Padraig, daughters Kate (5) and Grainne (3). They are already showing a great interest in the farm."

Quotable Quote: "It’s really important that anyone starting up in a new enterprise, whether that be dairy or beef should know their financial limits and constraints. Keep a tight eye on the financial side of things. Monitoring cashflow is essential in the first couple of years of starting off."