Rachael and Dick James are not afraid of a challenge. The couple bought a 50-acre dairy farm at Login, near Whitland, slap bang in the middle of the Foot and Mouth crisis.

One year on, Rachael is officially a 'farm wife' and her story is about to unfold on BBC Radio Wales in Farm Dairy (Sunday, March 2).

"Most people consider us either extremely brave or totally insane," said Rachael, who also presents S4C's weekly farming programme Ffermio. "At a time when many people are packing up and leaving the industry for good, we're venturing into farming."

Former 'Wales Today' journalist Rachael is a city girl at heart. Born and brought up in Cardiff, she had never imagined that she would end up as a partner in a dairy farming business. But the project is more than just a whim for rural escape.

"The harsh reality is that we'll both have to work full-time to support the farm," explained Rachael, who is expecting her first child in April. "We've had to borrow a quarter-of-a-million pounds from the bank, including an overdraft of £60,000. Farming is as tough as everyone says it is, but we're determined and we can't imagine life without our cows."

For Dick, life on the farm, Y Fron, is a dream come true. He studied agriculture at the Welsh College of Rural Studies in Aberystwyth and has worked with dairy cows ever since. His passion for farming even extends to selling semen which, according to Rachael, results in some interesting messages left on the answering machine. But she knew what she was getting into.

"I really should have known better," she said. "On my wedding day, just under a year ago, my brand new husband disappeared right in the middle of the party, along with his best man, to go and help his 'favourite' cow calve. Her timing was impeccable."

The first year of farm life has provided its fair share of ups and downs for the couple.

"We've helped many calves to be born, got used to long hours and settled into our new rural way of life," said Rachael. "But we've also suffered great losses - our first test for TB just before Christmas had a positive result and we lost our favourite cow Alberta, only to be told that the post-mortem revealed she was perfectly healthy."

Farm Diary can be heard on BBC Radio Wales on Sunday at 12.30 pm and Monday at 6 pm.