My day begins at 6:00 a.m. when I arrive at the farm after a two-hour drive from Kingston.

I am late and just in time to catch the last part of the milking duties for the morning, which usually begins at 3 a.m. Raymond Brooks, owner and operator of the farm, first takes me on a tour of the essential parts of the property. It is far too large, 500 acres, to tour on foot.

He shows me the milking parlour where machines are used to pump the milk directly from the cows' breasts into coolers. It is stored there until it is collected by Nestle's milk truck. The process prevents any hands from touching the milk.

I am also taken to the cow pen where the animals go after they are milked. I am in time to see Puet and Lee, two workers on the farm, round up the animals to take them to pasture. A 'horny' cow that keeps jumping other cows is separated from the herd and placed in a pen with a bull to be mated.

Brooks explains that they usually keep the bulls separated from the cows so that the animals do not continuously breed, thereby decreasing the times he can get milk.

The animals are released from the pen and they immediately turn towards the section of the pasture they will be grazing that day.

A few run around, but as soon as I call to them, gesturing with my hands for added effect, the animals obey. "This seems pretty easy," I think to myself. "My day is gonna be so easy."

We visit a pig pen that the farmer has a few yards away from the cow 'operations'. There I am, shocked at the size of the animals, many of whom, Brooks says, are quite young. He says the waste from the pigs will be used to create biofuel to power the farm operations.

Ian, our photographer, begins to insist that I be given a pig pen to clean. The scared look on my face is an obvious indicator to Brooks that I am not prepared for the responsibility.

Anyway, we move to a section of the property divided by the main road where Yvonne Brown and Rose-Marie Robinson, two seasonal workers, are about to plant grass. Grass is being replanted in some areas as it was partially destroyed by a massive fire in April and by drought.

Ian and I first pick some mangoes until Jonathan Taylor, aka JT, arrives with the tractor to plough the land.

After enough of the area is prepared, I go over to see what the women are doing. One of them shows me what to do and I begin to assist. Planting the grass is also fun, as all I do is put a few blades on the ground and cover the roots with dirt.

Brooks soon signals to me as we have to go to Mandeville, where he will have some breakfast and wrap up business pertaining to the farm.

At 2 p.m., we arrive back at the farm in time for the afternoon milking session.

While the cows are settling, Annette Dennis, a veterinarian technician who assists Brooks, says it's time to help to wash the pig pen. I am petrified but, after all, it is part of my job.

Ali, one of the workers, who has already started washing down the pen, seems all too happy to announce to me that he has left the pen with 25 piglets for me to wash.

He hands me the push broom and opens the gate. As soon as I start pushing the filth towards the drain, I realise that this job is near impossible to complete. The piglets continuously mess in the pen. After much struggle, the pen is washed and it is time for the piglets to be hosed down.

I wash them and then I just want to leave as they continuously poke their ugly, dirty noses at me. I am also very frightened by the size of the huge pigs in the other pens, who are waiting to be washed. I do not want to go near any more of them.

Luckily, Annette says it is time to milk the cows. I wash my hands and head for the milking parlour where Puet, Lee and Anthony are busy washing, drying and milking the 156 cows.

I am allowed to milk two of the animals and then I go to help Ali feed the calves. We pour some of the milk in a cow feeder, which has 10 nipples on the outside from which the calves drink.

After the calves are given water and their pens washed to prevent the development of bacteria, then the day's activities are over. Brooks walks the grounds and observes the different herds.

As the sun sets, I feel proud of myself, despite the challenges of adapting to my new duties. It is clear that there is a lot of careful work done to ensure that you receive quality milk and dairy farming is not an easy job.

Francine tries her best to avoid one of the pigs she went in the pen to look after. - Ian Allen Photos