A quick flight to Manchester followed by a train to Carlisle took us to Borderway UK Dairy Expo this week for what is one of my favourite shows on the circuit.

I often wonder if the consumer knows what it takes to produce food and the sheer hardship that farmers put themselves through

The reality is that if you help a farmer, you help a family, writes Aherla dairy farmer Paula Hynes.

We have fought to deal with policy changes, weak dairy markets and horrendous weather so the idea of a base price is a chance at survival for many dairy farmers

Tullamore is a show that is going from strength to strength, it was by far the biggest crowd I have ever seen attend the show this year and the organisers deserve huge credit for the effort they put in

It comes as the heifers and cows are due to calve over the next six weeks, writes Paula Hynes

Those of you who are weekly readers of my column will know myself and Pete celebrated our 30-year anniversary recently and he decided to surprise me with something that sparkles. I know, you are all thinking it was an amazing piece of jewellery.

The farmer in me, accustomed to taking on dirty jobs, rolled my sleeve and stepped forward

It is the little gestures at challenging times like these that make a huge difference to someone's day, writes Aherla dairy farmer Paula Hynes.

Becky headed off on New Year's Eve to Australia to prep some animals for a show there