Hard, but great fun on the farm

Being a city girl most of my life, I decided to spend the day with Midhirst farmer, Rodney Wilson, to see what it was really like to run a dairy farm. I love cows and dairy products so wanted to experience first hand what it's like on the farm and share my experience with other townies.

3am: I woke up to the alarm blaring, getting up carefully so as to not wake up my snoring daughter next to me.

Luckily my husband was kind enough to get up and make me a coffee while I pulled on old clothes and some overalls. Quickly into the bath room to wash my face and brush my teeth, then throw back my cup of coffee, kiss hubby goodbye, put on my gumboots and drive to Rodney's farm. At least it's not raining - there is not even a breeze - and the sky is clear and full of stars. So, I'm really lucky my first experience is going to be a dry and warm one.

3.35am: I arrive at the farm, still yawning. Rodney is waiting for me, ready to get started. We hop on to the bike and make our way to the milking shed, turning on the lights and getting it ready for the morning milking, then back on the bike armed with a torch we drive to the paddock where the 'springers' (a term used by farmers for pregnant cows close to calving) have spent the night. We walk through and check how many calves have been born overnight and make sure there are none in trouble. This morning we have only four little calves and spot

a cow ready to give birth. Everything looks good, so we hop back on the bike.

3.55am: We head out of the paddock on the other side of the farm to round up ''The Girls'' who are already waiting to go into the milking shed. We follow them on the bike as they trickle out of the paddock onto the race and into the

shed. Along the way we set up the gate for the cows' paddock for the day.

4.15am: Back at the milking shed it's time to get things started. Rodney has a 24-bale rotary dairy and a herd of 270 cows. Time to get my lesson putting the cups on. It looks easy enough when an experienced farmer is doing it, but it took meawhile to find a rhythm and get it right. A few of the cups came off because I had not put them on properly, but Rodney was quick to notice and placed them correctly. While the cows are being milked we make sure everything is running smoothly.

There were a couple of times when attaching the cups to the udder, I was pooped and peed on. I was told it's called being ''christened''. The feeling of warmth on a cold morning is comforting at first until you remember what has just hit you. Rodney is quick with the hose to wash it out. I couldn't help but think that it's probably all the exposure to recycled grass that keeps dairy farmers looking so young.It's quite a smooth operation. Rodney and I are at one side attaching cups while farm worker, Angie Bulman is on the other side taking them off. All the cows seem very happy to get on to the deck and have a feed ofamix of kibbled maize and palm kernel with a squirt of molasses on top. There are a small few that try and kick you while putting on the cups, but these are only the heifers that are not used to it.

This early in the calving season there are two mobs of cows being milked, so first it's the milkers, and then we have to do all the colostrum cows afterwards so as not to mix the milk and colostrum. All the colostrum is kept for the calves. There were also two cows with bright red paint on their backsides-these two are on penicillin so have to be milked separately so that the rest of the milk is not contaminated - very interesting for me to see, as I would never have guessed that this could be a problem. Only a few left on the deck now, so we're almost finished-at least that's what I thought.

6am: The cows are done, so now the big cleanup begins. There are two large and very powerful hoses on either side of the shed which are used to clean all the mess the cows have made-and yes, they do make a huge mess. Okay, so the hosing inside has been done, and I assume we are finished. No, we aren't done yet. Each cup needs to be cleaned and placed on the jeters ready for a hot chemical wash. This takes way longer that I thought it would. While Rodney takes care of this, poor Angie is outside in the yard hosing off a huge pile of cow poo into the effluent pond.

6.45am: Time to feed the calves. They are all waiting anxiously to be let on to the pad for their morning colostrum feed. I must admit, the smell of stored colostrum is not pleasant at all and I found myself gagging a few times for the first 15 minutes. It will take some getting used to. It's also really thick and lumpy looking, almost like cottage cheese. Not what I was expecting to see, but the calves love it.

The newer calves are in the calf shed and get fed first. Angie takes extra special care with them making sure that they latch onto the teats properly. Then another mob is let in and they are quick to get their share. The calves think everyone's teats taste better than their own so they continually head butt each other out of the way. They are all so cute, some smaller than others which I just want to take home and cuddle. They are all really happy to be fed their share, though I did feel a bit sorry for them shivering from the cold milk. Once they are fed it's time for the bigger calves to come in from a different paddock and get their milk too. This takes up a lot of time, but really fun to watch and be part of. They are all just like little toddlers.

7.45am: Breakfast time. We head inside where Rodney makes a pot of tea and a cup of coffee for me. We have some warm weetbix and toast for breakfast. I don't normally eat this early in the day, but thought I'd better fuel the tank so I can keep up with the busy pace and physical labour ahead.

8.45am: Time to pick up the calves and move them to the shed and their mums in with the other milkers. This is really sad for me seeing the calves separated from their mums, but I know it has to be done. While picking up the calves we notice a cow which seems to be having trouble calving. Rodney decides to take her out with the calves at the same time so that we can get her up the shed and check her out. So the calves are on their way to the shed on the back of a trailer which is being pulled by Angie in the tractor and Rodney and I hop on the bike and move the mums to the other paddock with the rest of the milkers. While down there we set up another paddock ready for the cows to be moved to after milking tonight. Then we head back to the shed to check up on the cow having trouble to calf. Rodney lifts her tail and then loses his arm shoulder deep to feel around for the legs. It doesn't feel like it should and he says it's time to call the vet in. While waiting for the vet to arrive we go and load up some hay on the forks and go down and feed out one of the bales on the'springers' break. After that it's time to spread some magnesium, referred to as causmag in farmer's lingo. Rodney gives me a bucket full and tells me to spread it evenly over the break. Not the nicest job to do, especially with it blowing back in my face and having a few mouthfuls of it. My hands sure feel like dried out prunes after this and next time I'll make sure not to throw it against the wind.

10am:The vet has arrived. It's Iain Thornton from Taranaki Vets in Stratford. He quickly gets his gear ready, injects the cow with an epidural and checks her. It does feel a bit twisted, so he ties a rope around the calf's neck and a chain on its leg and starts pulling gently.

Not long after that the calf starts coming out and very quickly falls to the ground. The calf is alive and well, so I'm very happy and you can instantly see the mother feeling a lot more comfortable. The vet does another check to make sure there is not another calf in there and then gives her a shot of medication before letting her out with her calf. After a few minutes the calf is carried to a separate paddock with its mum where it will stay for the day. Unfortunately the calf is a bull, so will be sent away on the'bobby' truck. Another sad moment for me, but I guess it has to be done because the farmers can't possibly keep all of them.

10.45am: Back on the bike to go check up on the steers running on the steep hills at the back of the farm and move the fences for them. We decide they are due for a shift so we move them to the next paddock, check the fences and make sure the water troughs are working properly. It is really a lovely day for farming, there is not a cloud in the sky, so I feel very lucky it's not a typical day on the farm weatherwise. Rodney takes me over to see his three older bulls on the opposite side of the farm. Wow, they are so big. I would hate to get in the way of these three beautiful beasts and I feel sorry for the poor cows that have to handle their weight during mating.

11.40am: We are back at the shed and Rodney and Angie show me how they mix up the minerals to put in the mineral dispenser, which mixes this with the cows feed as it is augured into the farm dairy. This consists of the following: 1) calcium carbonate (lime flour) at 80gms per cow per day 2) magnesium oxide (causmag) at 20gms per cow per day 3) sodium chloride (salt) at 25gms per cow per day 4) a dairy cow mineral premix containing copper, selenium, colbalt, iodine and zinc at 5gms per cow per day 5) Bovatec, a feed additive which improves the feed conversion efficiency in the cows' several stomachs at 2gms per cow per day, ready for the afternoon milking. I can't believe how much extra supplements these cows need to stay healthy. It must cost a fortune. Everything is measured and weighed perfectly to ensure they are getting the correct daily dose.

12.30pm: Lunch time already. The morning has gone so fast I can't believe the time. Off with the overalls and gumboots for a well-earned rest and a much needed toilet stop. Rodney brings out the bread, meat, salad, cheese, butter and some spreads for some delicious sandwiches. A pot of tea and coffee. Farm talk around the dining room table and good food to fuel up for the rest of the day.

1.30pm: Time to get the cage onto the ute to move a young calf to Croydon Road where Rodney has a run-off farm. I live there and am currently looking after two calves as pets. As I want to help this little one needing some extra TLC, we moved her there. We get the calf off the truck and into the shed and unpack the hay and milk powder for the three calves. Then we need to check up on the rest of the farm and the yearlings grazing over there. There is a water trough that has been overflowing due to the yearlings breaking off the float, so a new float has to be fitted. We quickly pop in at home and say hi to my daughter Chloe and husband Len before heading back to the dairy farm on Salisbury Road.

2.30pm: Time to go set up new paddocks ready for the cows tomorrow and then start moving the milkers back up to the shed for their afternoon milking, which normally starts at around 3pm. As always, they are ready and waiting.

3.15pm: The milking process begins again. This time round I seem to be much better at putting the cups on. It is definitely something that with practice, I'm sure I'd get the hang of. Everything is running smoothly and again the cows seem very happy. After milking, we go through the cleaning process again and then it's all done.

5.30pm: Rodney and I are back on the bike to go do another check on the 'springers'. We see one new calf ready to be picked up in the morning. Everything else looks okay, so we head back to go turn off the lights and lock up the sheds.

The working day is over and the overalls and gumboots come off. Now time to unwind with a nice glass of wine and talk about the interesting day I had. I must admit, it was fun, but physically challenging even though this was probably an easy day on the farm compared to most days. I didn't have to do fencing or lay drain pipes and have to put up with bad weather. I am never going to complain about the price of milk again. There is so much hard work to be done on a dairy farm. Today was a perfectly good day, the sun was shining and there were no other problems, but this is not always the case. I take my hat off to all the farmers out there working seven days a week non-stop to make sure we have our dairy products so conveniently available in our supermarkets. You guys and gals are awesome.

What Rodney Wilson had to say: "I was very pleased to entertain Bernie for the day. We as farmers tend to forget that 'townies' don't know what happens on a farm. I enjoyed the day and since Bernie is living on the other farm I've enjoyed passing on my knowledge to her as she is very keen to learn.

"I was pleasantly surprised at the speed at which Bernie took to putting the cups on the cows, so impressed in fact that now I know who to call at short notice for a relief miler. I've also been trying to teach her to ride a two-wheeler for a few weeks, but she wasn't going to take out the spare bike today and risk falling over, so was a passenger on my bike all day.

"Overall, I totally enjoyed the day training Bernie."