The unmatched scale soon becomes apparent, though. As you pass through the bespoke ‘Tateetra Farms’ yard gate, you are met by industrial-level suckler facilities.

Farm manager John Kingham, along with three full-time staff and seasonal help from agriculture students, looks after 520 suckler cows on over 600ac of premium Louth land across Tateetra and sister farm Rathmore.

There are over 1,000 head of cattle on the holdings at any one time and John intends to increase this to 1,300 by the end of 2022.

Grassland management is a huge source of pride for John. On numerous occasions during our tour of the farm, we took time to appreciate the quantity and quality of the sward.

Reseeds completed in the early autumn are now lush green carpets. Each paddock is supplied with a drinker, to reduce the overall distance cattle are required to walk on the farm; John credits this for his high weaning weights.

It’s this passion for detail to which he attributes his success in rearing top weanlings for market.

“The best way to create a profitable suckler enterprise is to breed from the highest genetic merit stock available,” he says. “I see far too many farmers investing time and money into cattle which just don’t have the genetic potential that’s necessary.”

Having a reputation for top suckler stock has enabled Tateetra and Rathmore farms to command top prices.

The main commercial breeds kept on the farms are Shorthorn, Limousin, Simmental and Belgian Blue. All stock is sold as weanlings at Carnaross Mart in Co Meath and Ballybay in Co Monaghan.

152 of the farm’s weanling heifers went under the hammer at Carnaross on October 1. There was a full clearance, with the top heifer making €5,500.

At the first sale under John’s watch in 2019, the average weanling price was €1,195. In 2020, this figure rose to €1,350, and for the third and most recent sale it was €1,530.

“We continue to invest in the best genetics and next year I’ll be aiming to improve on my average and go for a top price of €6,000,” he says.

On Friday, November 12, John bought a 32-month-old in-calf heifer for €10,000.

“Some might see this as crazy money to spend on a heifer but I see it as a solid investment,” he says. “She will be flushed for embryos in January and will repay the investment within the year.”

These embryos will be sired by one of the farm’s stock bulls, Ardlea Nemo.

John plans to use sexed semen on 300 cows this season, with the frozen straws coming from Cogent UK.

“Heifers are in highest demand and command the top prices so I’m aiming for 70pc female calves this season,” he says.

The stock bulls will be sent in after the first round of AI to mop up what is missed.

John is looking to move the enterprise to fully autumn calving in 2021. He believes a tight calving period in the early autumn will help reduce disease.

“With such a tight calving period, the bacteria won’t have a chance to develop and that’s why in the past we have seen low incidence of scour in our calves,” he says.

“It’s a high priority to keep disease to a minimum. Every cow must rear a calf every year. A suckler farm can’t afford to have any freeloaders.”

Tateetra and Rathmore have used various measures to improve their environmental impact, such as the total elimination of run-off from the farm.

John and his team have built a series of tanks which catch rainwater and any other run-off from the yards.

The run-off is then fed into slurry storage and applied to the fields from there. The Creggan River runs through the middle of Tateetra farm.

“Every farmer accepts 100pc that the environment needs to be looked after to ensure our future,” John says.

“Farmers have come under heavier criticism in recent years than ever before. Every business that has an impact on the environment needs to be held to account.

“While farmers have many climate responsibilities, I feel agriculture should be given greater concessions than other sectors due to the utter necessity of the work we do. We are food producers, and without food what do we have?”

With rising fertiliser costs, John has prioritised the inclusion of red clover in grass seed mix in recent reseeds.

“I recently bought 28 tonnes of CAN, costing a total of €25,200. This time last year I was able to buy CAN at €195/t and it’s now hovering around €800/t,” he says.

“The way prices are going the Government will have to bring in a grant to help farmers buy fertiliser. We need the grass, and without fertiliser I don’t know where Irish farmers will be next spring.

“On a normal year my fertiliser bill usually comes in at around €60,000. Next year I could be looking at four times that, if I’m lucky enough to be even able to get it.”

On the new CAP, John believes Direct Payments should be reassessed on a frequent basis to help tackle ‘armchair farmers’ and reallocate funds to new entrants.

He urges other farmers, no matter what size their enterprise, to not be deterred by hard times in the sector.

“When you set out to achieve something, don’t let anyone sway you from that path,” he says

“Don’t let others’ negative comments discourage you from achieving your goals. Everyone’s perspective is different. No two farmers looking at the same field will see and experience the same thing.”

‘Big farms like ours need all the smaller farmers to be doing well. We can’t do well if the smaller guys are suffering’

Before joining Tateetra and Rathmore farms, John Kingham spent nine years in a management position with Castleblayney-based Annalitten Foods.

In October 2017, he became assistant farm manager at Tateetra and Rathmore. Three months later, he took over as manager.

The 35-year-old grew up on a pedigree suckler farm near Donaghmoyne in Co Monaghan. The Culla Charolais herd was recently dispersed following the passing of his father Sean earlier this year.

John spent a year at Ballyhaise College before moving on to complete a degree in food science at Dundalk IT.

When he took the helm at Tateetra and Rathmore, he sold all of the original stock and put a modern breeding plan in place, with greater emphasis on the genetic gain that can be achieved through AI and the purchase of the top stock bulls on the market.

Farm infrastructure has been modernised dramatically. Many new sheds have been built, hundreds of acres have been reseeded, and an extensive upgrade has been made to water supply on both holdings.

John believes in having a good structure to the working day for himself and his staff: work begins on the farm at 8.30am and finishes at 5pm.

During the calving period, these hours can vary for John, who takes responsibility for all calving due to the costly nature of losing a calf at birth.

Looking towards the future, he is confident that the role of the Irish suckler farmer is secure.

“Despite what people say, the suckler trade remains very strong and there is potential to live very comfortably in this sector,” he says.

“All cattle are making great money at the moment and our sales are going from strength to strength.

“Everyone in this sector needs to keep pulling together because Ireland needs to have sustainable beef production to have a sustainable future.

“Small herds are vital to the economy and support thousands of families around the country.

“Big farms like ours need all the smaller farmers to be doing well. We can’t do well if the smaller guys are suffering.”