With Christmas well and truly upon us, it is a good time for farmers to relax and take some well-deserved down time.

It's also a good chance to recharge the batteries ahead of what are always very busy months of January, February and March on spring-calving farms.

Management

How you manage your herd in the final couple of months before calving a crucial to the outcome of the calving season on your farm.

Factors such as feeding, health and housing all need to be considered and got right.

Cavan suckler farmer Garreth McCormack has some of the best calving results in the programme and, recently, I caught up with him to find out what he is doing with his cows.