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Are you producing as much milk as you want to on your farm? Is there no option but to move farm to fulfil your milking ambitions? That’s not easy right now with land prices as they are, and finding an efficient, modern working dairy farm can be virtually impossible in some parts of the country.

Ambitious First Milk producers committed to the future and needing to move to bigger premises could take a leaf out of member John Hunt’s book. In 2002 his farm at Calne in Wiltshire was producing as much as it ever would from the 110 cows there. But he was optimistic about the future of dairying and wanted to produce more milk but staying there, wasn’t an option.

In 2004 he duly decided to make the move down the road to a former dairy farm at Manor Farm, Grittenham, Brinkworth, where there was more space and better buildings. However the farm had given up milking 10 years ago and there was no parlour, few cubicles, a slurry storage system that would suffice for only a few years and very few fences, gates and water troughs.

A house for his parents and partners John and Marjorie would also have come in handy.

Undaunted though, John moved, built the parlour, installed some cubicles and began the transformation of what had been a very run down dairying business. And all at a time when milk prices and profits were in the doldrums. Meanwhile he and his parents were busy on the house.

Four years on he’s still busy turning around the business and the investment continues with a new slurry store and more new cubicles being installed this year. Cow numbers are up to 135, at a comfortable 7,300 litres and the target is to go to 150. Despite the hard work and the cost he has absolutely no regrets.

“It hasn’t been easy and there’s a long way to go yet, but dairying is in the blood and I didn’t want to quit. I always thought there would be a good future, even when prices were low, but could see that my future wasn’t where we were at Calne. The move - and what we have done here - has set me up for my dairying career.”

And who knows where that may lead. John is young, keen and interested in developing his dairying and industry knowledge by attending First Milk Academy courses and discussion groups. He is confident of the co-op’s progress, and if he had enough time to engage in off farm activities, he would like to become more actively engaged in the co-op’s affairs.

At the moment, though, with his father cutting back on the amount he can do, and with the “new” farm still developing, it’s still very much all hands to the dairying pump at home.