Hazell Mullins: 2025 farming 'Themes' — Goodbye to unachievable resolutions
The first theme could be for example 'Attention to detail' and getting back to a routine on the farm.
It's that time of year again when we are bombarded with slogans such as “New Year, new me” as if to imply that on January 1, we should wake up and be a different person.
I used to buy into all of this external social pressure, but as the years roll by, I now try to see the new year as a chance to reflect on the previous 12 months, seeing what worked well and perhaps identify little changes that could be implemented.
When it comes to the year of farming ahead, I don’t like to make resolutions that I can’t keep, so I always try to put a new personal theme on each new new year.
It is good to look back at the 2024 farming year and acknowledge its challenges, as we all know there were many, but also achievements — whether that is in the line of fertility, daily weight gains, milk solids, or as simple as making good silage.
The first theme could be, for example, 'Attention to detail' and getting back to a routine on the farm.
This goes for both personal and work life. I would like a little more routine in my life this year, however, that is a little contradictory to my personality as someone who loves change and challenges.
Good overall hygiene routine covers so many aspects of animal health, making sure to clean all calf feeding equipment, including dump buckets, stomach tubes, and anything that is in the pathway from teat to mouth of the calf or lamb.
A routine of washing is essential also, cold rinse, detergent (washing up liquid), disinfectant (eg Milton), and rinse will remove any biofilms left from milk and kill bacteria on the surface of the equipment.
Make this as simple as possible, have a good wash area set up on a farm, easy access to hot and cold water, and space to store everything. A well-organised workspace makes implementing routines more streamlined.
The second theme of 2025 to consider would be 'Proactive' — by that, I mean being proactive in identifying problems and finding solutions.
I am a huge believer that mistakes are there for us to learn from — we all make them. This year, for me on the farm, it was the calf shed.
We converted an old hay barn to a group calf shed, and while we lost no calf, there were calf issues due to shortfalls with the shed.
We will have been busy over the last few weeks building walls to stop draughts, and the Kango hammer has been out to improve drainage in the pens.
Mastitis can be another headache on the farm — if there are early signs of issues after the first milk recording, act then not later.
The CellCheck solutions consult from Animal Health Ireland is a great free resource, now available to all dairy farmers, which identifies potential causes of the cell count issue and will suggest proactive solutions. Perhaps this year is the year to not bury any heads in the sand and tackle any issues head-on.
We are all guilty of putting things on the back burner from time to time. I personally always look back and think why didn’t I do this sooner? Next week, my article will be an animal health calendar to help forward plan the year to make this proactive theme a little easier.
The third and final theme could be 'Support' — being kind to yourself and being there for those around you.
Animal health and human health go hand in hand — there is a busy period in the calendar just around the corner, and it is so important to be kind to yourself.
Rest when you can, and plan something nice to work towards, even a takeaway on a Friday night. Farming can be very isolating, especially in the middle of spring, so it is important to have a network of support available.
I would like to wish all the readers of the an attentive, proactive and supported year of farming. Let’s see what 2025 has in store.
