My name is Ollie Purcell and I am six years old. I live in the countryside in Co Kilkenny. I go to school in St Nicholas National School in Windgap, which is also in the countryside.

I have one sister named Cara and she is three years old, and I have a dog called Holly.

I love living in the country because it’s really quiet and there’s lots of space to run around and play with my sister and my dog.

Heifers

I look forward to the heifers coming into the fields beside our house every summer.

The farmer who owns the heifers gives me the job of counting them every morning to make sure none of them are missing.

I really enjoy doing this, because they all come running over to me and they like me to stay and talk to them for a while.

I really love farming and going to Uncle Derek’s farm with my dad. My favourite thing to do there is feeding the calves. I feed them nuts, hay and milk and sometimes they lick my hand, which is really funny because it tickles.

I like to watch them jump around in the straw after we bed them.

Favourite breeds

My dad and uncle tell me all about the different breeds. My favourite breed is Belgian Blues because the calves look really nice and they are so strong too.

I also like to help my uncle with milking the cows. My favourite part is putting on the clusters and then spraying them afterwards. We do this so the cows won’t get sick.

Books

My favourite book is The Great Irish Farm Book by Darragh McCullough.

I read this most nights with my mam and dad. It teaches me lots of new stuff about all sorts of farm animals, crops and machinery. My favourite tractor is a John Deere!