6.30am: My alarm goes off and I grab a coffee and wellies and head to the yard. I usually follow the same routine 7 days a week, unless I am checking the labour ward and have to get up earlier. Last week for example, I headed out at 4.15am when we had a cow starting to calf and a heifer calf was born at 5.10am.
6.40am: I start milking goats and feeding goats that are currently milking. Our farm has been in County Down since 1989 and has approximately 80 animals on farm – goats, cows and poultry.
7am: I feed dry stock kids (animals that are not producing milk) and any calves that need fed on milk. The kid goats drink 2 litres of milk – it’s made up of fresh milk, goats milk, hay and meal.
7.45am: I check cattle in the fields and feed them. We have a 60-acre farm near Castlewellan and are every expanding with suckler cows, so who knows where that will take me in the future!
8.30am: I do the school run with a much-needed coffee in hand.
9.15am: I grab a quick breakfast once all the animals and children are sorted.
9.30am: I head to the office or lorry for my day’s work. We have quite a lot going on at the minute organising shows and events. We are one of 18 farms participating in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend from Friday 17-Sunday 19 June. We are looking forward to opening to the public on Saturday 18 June as this is the first year they can come back on farms since 2019 so there is a lot to plan.
6pm: I milk and feed the goats again.
6.30pm: I feed the kid goats and dry stock.
7pm: I feed cattle in the fields again, they are given meal twice a day, 365 days per year. In the winter they get silage or hay and in the summer season they are out in the grass.
7.30pm: I eat my dinner and catch up with the family. I have two daughters - Eva age 12 and Vanessa age 9
10pm: I’m back out again for a late-night feed for the kids. Similar to human babies, kid goats need a lot of nutrients and vitamins to help them grow.
11pm: I finally make it to bed and get to start the process all over again the next day!
Churchview Farm is one of 18 farms that are participating in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend which runs from Friday 17-Sunday 19 June. As well as being open to the public on Saturday 18 June from 11-5pm, there will be a live stream from Churchview on the Open Farm Weekend Facebook live feed.
