Farmers are the custodians

The scenic Welsh countryside is well recognised for it’s strong appeal to visitors, many of whom would passionately (and wisely) claim that there is none better.

This doesn’t happen just by accident but it is the result of generations of care by those who genuinely love what we have and are anxious that it is retained in a suitable manner for future generations.

One such family farm is a traditional, tenanted unit in the heart of the Brecon Beacons, with spectacular views and grazing stretching towards Pen y Fan.

It is the home of Stephen and Lisa Williams and their son, Luke, who at 21 is the fifth generation of the family to farm at Llwyn Bedw, Talybont-on-Usk, where the National Sheep Association have their bi-annual open day next Tuesday (May 16).

Rented from Welsh Water, much of the valley was lost to farming in 1981 when it was flooded to provide a one of the largest reservoirs in South Wales. The farm now comprises 1,000 acres under fence and the family have also been granted grazing rights over the 3,000 acres of common stretching from Aber village to Torpantau.

The farm now carries a closed flock of 3,500 sheep (including 3,000 hefted Talybont type breeding ewes -Welsh x Cheviot) and a downland flock of Charollais x Talybont type ewes, as well as a herd of 70 suckler cows.

The Williams family take great pride in keeping the farm tidy and enjoy sharing their experiences with visitors. Stephen is keen to demonstrate to the general public the part that farmers play in creating and conserving the National Park, saying there are too many misconceptions.

He reminds me: “The perception people tend to have of this area in the Brecon Beacons National Park is that the National Park does a lot environmentally, but it’s we who are the custodians of this valley. We look after the rights of way, the gates and a great deal more.

“We deal with people on daily basis. The countryside looks the way it does because of farmers. The sheep are the best conservation tool you can have and we really want the public to see how we operate.”

Grandad Godfrey remains confident. He says Brexit will bring changes, but feels UK lambs are the best in the world and he hopes that the Government will recognise and value the work farmers do for the countryside and for the balance of payments. Luke, is now well settled back at the farm after gaining a year’s valuable experience on a sheep station near Melbourne in South Australia.

Special feature

On a 12 year cycle, the Royal Welsh Show annually features fully one of the Welsh counties in return for which each county raises funds for a specific project which will enhance the facilities at the permanent Llanelwedd site in Radnorshire.

This year, Carmarthenshire is the focus of attention and members of the county’s own RWAS Advisory Committee have been actively raising funds for the past 18 months or so - a recent celebrity concert held at Folly Farm and presided over by Dennis Reed featured Max Boyce and proved a sellout well in advance of the evening.

Pembrokeshire will be featured for the 100th show in 2019 and already nominated area committees have began their work, together with the young farmers section and a number of ladies groups.

Holidays on wheels!

Thousands of holidaymakers return to West Wales each year making use of our extensive range of hotels and guest houses, others enjoy camping whilst the joy of travelling with a caravan or camper van also has a certain appeal.

One lady, who has just become hooked on taking holidays on wheels, told me last week: “Until a year ago, the thought of staying in a caravan filled myself and my partner with horror. How things have changed. We have a horse that competes with a professional rider in three day eventing, and the cost of following him around the country staying in hotels was becoming very expensive.

“So my mother (God bless her) decided to buy us a caravan, something cheap and cheerful to see how we got on. We hadn’t a clue what we were buying, but the four berth unit was clean and tidy and, coming with a full service history, seemed to fit the bill and the budget.

“We had only had it three days and hadn’t used it when the horse picked up an injury and was off for the rest of the season.

“Now I’ll admit, if it hadn’t been bought for us, it would have been straight on a well-known auction site, but not wishing to appear ungrateful, we thought we had better have an outing in it. Friends of ours who are keen caravanners were determined we would use it and booked us onto the Trevayne site for three nights and came along to help us set up etc.

“Now I personally thought three nights was two too many - however, we loved it! and so did our rescue greyhound!

“The first thing we did when we got home was join the Caravan Club and booked two more long weekends away. We are now completely converted to caravanning, our unit has been named ‘Chalky the Hut’ and has just sailed through its service and here we are on our first outing of 2017.

“We have four more holidays booked and the horse is now fit and ready to compete again, so we are looking forward to following him around the country. We have made so many new friends amongst site owners and their friendly staff, and also the lovely members on sites who offered their help and advice when needed.

“We’ve changed our perception completely and we are looking forward to many happy years ahead - we now also have serious caravan envy and will be looking to upgrade “Chalky” next year!”

Embracing change

Quick of the mark: Tickets for the popular Oxford Farming Conference held each year in January are already available.

The conference mixes inspirational international speakers with political debate, innovative approaches to agriculture and valuable networking, has become a traditional start to the year for a great number of the UK’s forward-thinking farmers and agriculturalists, and their associated industries.

Chairman, Caroline Millar, tells me that the conference is on a mission to encourage as many people from the industry to be part of the debate: “We are at a critical point in UK farming and we want to open the conference to as many people as possible. This as a valuable and unique opportunity to bring people together from all different parts of the industry to forge a way forward for UK farming and agribusiness. By offering a special early-bird rate, we hope to encourage people to the conference who haven’t come before, and to get as great a mix as possible over the three days to share ideas, debate and learn from others.”

She adds: “This is a really important time for debate and for the industry to work together. The opportunities are huge, but to grow and prosper, UK agriculture needs to question its approach and thinking, and how we as an industry can change and evolve to thrive in a new world order. We need to address now how to embrace these opportunities - at a personal, family and business level. Policy is one direction, but we can start closer to home with collaboration, diversification and digitisation.”

Time tells

A farmer purchased an old farm, really run-down and abandoned for which he saw an opportunity to turn it into a thriving enterprise.

The fields were grown over with weeds, the farmhouse was falling apart, and the fences were broken down.

During his first day of work, the local preacher stops by to bless the man’s work, saying: “May you and God work together to make this the farm of your dreams!”

A few months later, the preacher stops by again to call on the farmer. Lo and behold, it appears a completely different place.

The farm house is completely rebuilt and in excellent condition, there is plenty of cattle and other livestock happily grazing away in well-fenced pens, and the arable fields had thiving crops that were a joy to behold.

“Amazing!” the preacher says. “Look what God and you have accomplished together!”

“Yes, reverend,” says the farmer, “but remember what the farm was like when God was working it alone!”