Do you think you could work in Saudi Arabia for six weeks on, 16 days off, for 12 and a half years?

Michael Walsh is doing just that. He lives with his wife, Louise, and his one-year-old son, Conor, in Carrick-on-Suir – when’s he’s not working, that is.

This is, of course, not a “normal or conventional relationship or marriage,” says Michael.

“I met my wife Louise when I was home on a trip from Saudi. My farm at home would not have provided me with a viable income in the future, so I found another way of doing what I love. And huge backing from Louise has kept me here.”

For this couple, it’s a situation that works.

“When I’m off, I’m off. I have lots of family time and interaction. It’s like six mini-holidays a year.”

When Michael’s in Saudi, he works seven days a week on Al-Danah farm which lies 160km south-east of Riyadh.

“A lot of the dairy farms are on the old Dammam Road outside of the town of Al Karaj. There’s five Almarai farms and dairy processing facilities and they lie approximately 8km to 16km apart.”

Michael’s day begins at 6am and finishes at 6pm. He gets an hour-long break at 9am for breakfast and another hour at 1pm for lunch.

“Time goes fast. It’s a busy spot, you’re kept going. You don’t find the time coming around before you’re on holidays again.”

But the reason Irish Country Living is talking to him is because the company that owns the farm, Almarai, is currently recruiting for dairy unit managers (see left for advert).

Almarai are looking for people in their mid-20s with a minimum of three years experience.

“We are looking for people who are highly motivated in agriculture and who have a keen interest in making a career out of it here. If they love the job, time flies by.”

Those who have worked on farms abroad are at an advantage.

“This is because it shows they are used to leaving home. We’re also looking for team players, so if they’ve experience abroad, they’re coming from a situation where they’re used to working on bigger farms with other people.”

Al Danah farm is split into several areas. There’s a calf house, a corral area where calves of four to 22 months are kept, and a dry stock area for dry cows or cows preparing for calving.

There’s also a health section, a breeding section, a feeding area, and a workshop and maintenance area where equipment is fixed. Of course, there’s also the milking parlour where 215 of the farm’s staff are based.

New recruits will spend most of the first year completing on-the-job training in different sections of the farm. They’re required to learn the system and, after a year, their level of responsibility is increased and they’ll start to manage areas.

In terms of qualifications required, Almarai are looking for those with a diploma in agriculture and with three to four years experience.

Of course, life can be isolated on a farm in the middle of a desert. Given that they work seven days a week in a country where alcohol is banned, do they have any fun?

“There are very good sports facilities on all the Almarai farms,” says Michael.

“There’s a gym, indoor courts for basketball and soccer, billiard tables, swimming pools, internet and satellite television. There’s plenty to do. No Saturday passes without watching the premiership.”

And how do Irish guys cope with the weather?

“It is a hot, arid desert. Between June and September, temperatures range between 44oC to 48oC and peak at 50oC. Between November and March, it’s very pleasant, it goes down to 25oC.

“The weather is not too bad – you’re in and out of sheds, and all management have a vehicle. It’s not like the farm at home where you can walk from A to B. We get all livestock routine work done in the mornings and evenings when it’s not too hot.

“Furthermore, the cow sheds are air-conditioned. Coolers are used to cool the cows. It keeps the temperature at 25oC.”

There is no doubt that Al-Danah is one of the best dairy farms in the world. The average yield per cow is 42-43 litres. “That’s huge” says Michael. “And the animal husbandry practices are very good.”

700

The number of staff, 10 of whom are Irish

25,000

The number of cows

22,000

The number of followers (young stock)

42-43 litres

The average yield per cow

60 litres

The number of litres that cows peak at in a day

43 litres

The number of litres that heifers peak at in a day

954,000 litres

The amount of milk produced on the farm every day

339 million

The number of litres produced on the farm in a year

13,770 litres

The yearly herd average per cow

36

The daily number of times Almarai milk tankers come to the farm to collect milk

• Almarai milk and dairy products are sold in all the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Kuwait and Qatar.

• Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer is chair of Almarai and has a 29% shareholding