Four new farms have joined Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales' network of Beef and Sheep Demonstration Farms as a part of the Farming Connect Beef and Sheep Development Programme. These demonstration farms are considered to be an excellent route for the transfer of technology to the farming industry and will, eventually, focus on looking to the future post single farm payment, with emphasis on improving enterprise efficiency, animal health and genetic improvement. One of the new holdings to join the network is Lampeter Velfrey, near Narberth - a 420-acre grassland farm comprising of 500 mainly mule ewes and 75 commercial suckler cows, farmed by Tom and Kate Coney and their family. Their main objectives are to improve the health status of their flock and herd and to use techniques such as benchmarking to analyse the performance of their farm business. Tom says: "It's important to dig down into the performance of your business to identify what you are doing well, and areas where you can improve." With Tom and Kate in our photograph are their three enthusiastic sons, Robert, 13, James, 11, and William, 9.
