A local farmer, who has a wealth of knowledge and international experience in the timber importing industry, had always hankered on having his own mill, but expected this to remain a dream until the advent of Farming Connect.

George Dickman hopes now to have a new sawmill up and running on his farm very soon thanks to the expert advice and financial assistance providedunder the Farming Connect scheme.

Sue Wolfe, WDA business development manager, Aberystwyth, and chairman of the WDA's Forestry Implementation Group said: "I am delighted that Mr. Dickman has been able to start work on the new sawmill so quickly.

"The project demonstrates how closely forestry and farming are integrated, and how important forestry is to the rural economy. The Farming Connect timber processing scheme, operated in partnership by WDA and the Forestry Commission, is one of a range of grants and support available to businesses and communities for commercial activity in forestry and woodlands in Wales."

Mr. Dickman, of Bachsylw Farm, Login, said: "When a facilitator called to help me with my business plan, I had all the relevant information at hand as I had researched my idea quite extensively over recent years. That helped to get my application approved quickly, so I could start the project as soon as possible."

Now he not only hopes to take on two men immediately to help him process the wood harvested from his 250 acres of woodlands, but will also be able to mill for other farmers and landowners in the area, providing a local service.

His new venture, costing around £100,000, will involve adapting existing buildings and acquiring an extensive range of equipment.

"The beauty of this mill is that it will be very flexible and it will be small enough to meet the needs of people who cannot be catered for by the larger sawmills," he said. "However, although small, this is a static mill with heavy equipment, which cuts more accurately than light mobile mills."

Much of the wood on his land is softwood, such as Grand Fir, but there is also some hardwood too. This local timber grown on the farm will be supplemented by purchasing standing timber from other landowners. This will enable local timber to be supplied for relatively large contracts as well as smaller, local applications.

"Farming Connect has enabled me to continue a farming operation and at the same time utilise the resources on the farm by using the skills and knowledge I have acquired," said Mr. Dickman.

Jon Westlake, implementation manager for the Forestry Commission in Wales, is hoping other farmers will also take advantage of the help now available to diversify and make effective use of the woodlands on their land.

He said that timber processing grants, similar to the one awarded to Mr. Dickman, were available to support capital spending on small scale harvesting systems for farm woodland, the conversion of redundant buildings to air dry or process timber and for the provision of woodworking machinery.

"We currently import about 90 per cent of the wood used in the construction, paper and furniture making industries and I believe that with more small-scale mills in Wales we can reduce this figure."

The high quality local wood could be used for furniture making, while the lower quality could go for wood chip bedding to replace expensive straw.