I farm: “With my husband, Bryan, in Clarinbridge in south Galway. We are farming 214ha in total and that includes a 40ha winterage in the Burren. There’s 35ha in Clarinbridge, 62ha in New Quay, Clare, and 68ha where we have all the young stock, winter accommodation and cut silage from. We put in a new parlour at home in Clarinbridge this year.”
The herd: "We have all crossbred cows and are milking 268 in total. We are milking on two units, with 88 cows here in Clarinbridge and 180 cows in New Quay.”
This week: “I’m a bit tied down at the moment as we have an 11-week-old baby. We are getting ready for the slurry deadline. I am ordering supplies in preparation for next year and have a discussion group to attend on Thursday.”
Winning ways: “I recently won the Teagasc/FBD student of the year award which I was both surprised and proud about. There were a lot of good students in the running so I’m privileged to have won. My son, Conn, was actually born on the same day I won the award.”
Career change: ”I left nursing to go farming in 2017. I got into farming through Bryan and fell in love with it. The business was growing and there was an opportunity for me to work full-time on the farm so I did.”
Future plans: “The focus at the minute is not to expand cow numbers but to improve soil health and fertility. We want to get our genetics right and breed off the best cows we can.”
Quotable quote: “We are farming to have a happy farm and happy family life. Our principles are about having healthy and happy animals.”
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