The National Ploughing Championships are due to take place next week (September 19-21) with large crowds expected at the event in Co. Laois.
The Ploughing is a major event in the calendar for the farming community, with people attending the event from all parts of the country.
But for many farmers, in order to attend the event, there is a certain level of planning required to ensure that livestock are looked after while they are away. This is especially the case for dairy farmers.
Although farmers involved in other enterprises will also have to make a plan that allows them to attend, on dairy farms the cows still need to be milked.
Ploughing
To ensure that you can attend this year’s event and not have to worry about rushing back from the event to milk that evening, you should be getting a relief milker organised in the next couple of days.
Remember that if you are looking for a relief milker, it is likely that other farmers in your area may be too, so it is best to be ahead of the pack.
Time off
If you are not heading to the Ploughing you should be looking at getting a few days away from the farm in the coming weeks anyway.
September for, spring-calving herds, should be a fairly quiet month and thus offers a good chance to take a couple of days off.
Taking time off is important and unlike many other professions, farmers often work where they live – so this can be difficult.
Ideally, if you are taking time off, get away from the farm, even if this is just for a few hours.
Most people have the weekends when they don’t have to think about work, but for most farmers, this is not the case.
Getting away from work and taking time off should be encouraged to improve mental and physical well-being.