If you asked me a month ago, I would have said: “Yes, I am going to start milking 40 cows on a part-time basis and become yet another farmer converting to dairy.”

Back then, everything was in theory, but the reality of the exact costs now means things are not so certain.

The sheep and calf-rearing enterprises are going well, so why consider milking cows at all?

If you had an hour to spare and very little else to do, I could bore you with the many reasons I have teased out with the family here over the past few months. But it boils down to a few core factors. First, I like the challenge cows present. The technical aspects such as EBI, SCC, kg DM/ha and all the other acronyms appeal to my maths-orientated mind. I want to marry this scientific approach with the natural world around us.

If these had to be built from scratch, there is little chance I would be thinking about milking cows

But before things get too poetic, there is the matter-of-fact point that I can never become a full-time farmer with sheep and beef on the land base we have. Plus, this being a dairy farm previously, there are cubicles, paddocks and water troughs and roadways already in place. If these had to be built from scratch, there is little chance I would be thinking about milking cows. The only real costs then would be the stock themselves and the parlour. I did a rough estimate in my head a while ago for these and came back with a somewhat acceptable figure.

Pricing

While ball-park numbers are grand for initial estimates, I am sure any bank I approach for a loan will need more detailed analysis. So, I am currently pricing up walls, concrete, and a lean-to roof that would join onto the existing cubicles. After that, the milking machine, bulk tank and everything else for the dairy will be costed.

The reality, therefore, of the investment and fundamental changes to family life have started to crystalise now. Everything is easy when you are planning something that is merely a possibility. But any rose-tinted glasses fall off your eyes quickly when you move from hundreds, to thousands, to tens of thousands of euro in a few short conversations.

Committed

While I was committed in theory a month ago, in practice I am now not so certain.

The only investment so far has been 20 weanling heifers, which are being out-wintered on fodder rape. Ten are British Friesian and 10 have some crossbred blood in them.

If the parlour costs turn out to be higher than I am comfortable with, Plan-B is to sell these 20 as in-calf heifers in 12 months’ time

I am happy to keep an open mind on the type of cow that might fit into whatever system we eventually settle on, so a liquorice all-sorts mix of breeding is fine for now.

If the parlour costs turn out to be higher than I am comfortable with, Plan-B is to sell these 20 as in-calf heifers in 12 months’ time. I am hoping this will not be the case, but the costs will determine all.

For now, we remain committed sheep farmers and the ewes will get our deserved attention for the next six months at least.

They will be scanned next week and preparations for housing and lambing will then begin in earnest.