Farming

Family Farms deliver Wellbeing Goals

Published

6 years ago

January 30, 2018

Breakfast time: (l-r) FUW Deputy President Brian Thomas, Event sponsor Paul Davies AM, FUW President Glyn Roberts and Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths

ASSEMBLY MEMBERS and key stakeholders, who joined the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) at its annual farmhouse breakfast in Cardiff on Tuesday (Jan 23) heard how the Union has established three working groups to demonstrate the positive impact that the farming sector has on delivering the goals of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act.

Speaking at the breakfast, FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “Those of you familiar with the FUW will know that we pride ourselves on being a grassroots organisation which provides a voice for Welsh farmers, and Welsh farmers alone. We also like to think that we are an organisation that makes maximum use of data and analysis. Evidenced based decision making as it’s known.

“Therefore I am pleased to announce today that in line with these principles we have established three focus groups which will look at identifying strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for our key sectors based on the detailed annual breakdowns of farm costs and outputs provided by Aberystwyth University’s Farm Business Survey.”

This approach, Mr Roberts said, won’t be building a policy purely around high level principles but instead will look at ways to determine the Wellbeing of Welsh family farms by placing their business incomes at the heart of policies which deliver a host of benefits to society.

“The farmers of Wales already play a significant role in delivering all seven of the ‘well-being goals’ defined in the Well-being of Future Generations Act and our work will provide the evidence to substantiate this and of course the continued investment in Welsh agriculture and Welsh farms.

“Whether it is the FUW, Welsh Government or others who are looking at future policies, the work – including the welcome and forward-looking work of the Welsh Government’s round-table sub groups – is overshadowed by uncertainty.”

Mr Roberts stressed that there is no doubt that as an industry we will still be here in decades to come, but Brexit means the industry now stands at a crossroads where a wrong turn based on poorly thought out or poorly investigated decisions would jeopardise not only thousands of farm businesses, but a large number of those other businesses and employees which rely on the agricultural industry.

“Despite the size of the challenge and that we face this challenge for the first time, I’ve been amazed at how many Brexit experts there are in this country. There appears to be no end to those willing to give advice on which direction we should take. Much of this advice is of course very well meaning, but a lot of it is delivered with a dose of self-interest,” said the Union President.

The FUW has long stressed that family farms in Wales are key links in innumerable supply chains and the backbone of our rural economies: they not only deliver food, but also environmental, tourism, renewable energy and other benefits to name just a few.

“Our family farms provide services worth many times more than the value of the support they receive, delivering rural employment, payments to other businesses, food production, and a host of other social and environmental services.

“And each of those services represent a supply chain – some which work well, but many others which do not – so we now have the opportunity, through a new approach, to look at their entire lengths, and make them function properly. Or, where this is not possible, or not politically desirable, we have an opportunity to put in better mechanisms to make up for market failures,” said Glyn Roberts.

Mr Roberts stressed that he did not mean a farming policy or an environmental policy, but supply chain policies, which ensure equity, fairness and just rewards along the whole length of those chains, whether they relate to the supply of Welsh lamb, Welsh lapwings, Welsh carbon or Welsh water.

“I know that it is easy enough to put such principles into words – just as I’m doing now. But no amount of well meaning policy statements shown on Powerpoint slides can ever reveal what a thorough investigation based on hard data and economic analysis can show,” he added.

Farming

Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society in search for county’s top progressive farmers

Published

2 weeks ago

April 9, 2024

Tom Sinclair

IF you farm in Pembrokeshire and can demonstrate your farm’s use of the latest technological methods to promote progressive, sustainable agriculture then the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society encourage you to enter the prestigious Baron de Rutzen Award.

Adam Thorne, Pembrokeshire County Show President, said, “We are looking for local Pembrokeshire farmers, under the age of 45, who can demonstrate their farm’s use of the latest technological methods to promote progressive, sustainable agriculture. They also need to show consideration for the environment and habitat sensitivity on their farm as well as present an aesthetically pleasing example of farming in the county. The competition welcomes all livestock and arable sectors to take part.”

Last year’s winners of the Award were Mark and Caroline Davies of Little Newcastle, Haverfordwest. They milk 230 pedigree Holsteins through a fully automated system. They rear their own replacements and also have a small beef enterprise. The farm is all grassland and they follow a strict reseeding and liming policy to optimise the yield from their multi-cut silage system. The couple place significant emphasis on animal health, husbandry and breeding to maximise the efficiency of their system.

Baron John Fredrick De Rutzen was President of Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society in 1936 and the Baron de Rutzen Trophy was produced in his memory. The third Baron served in the Welsh Guards and tragically died, aged 36, in 1944.

This year’s entrants must be fully practising farmers within the county of Pembrokeshire and were under the age of 45 years on 1 January 2024. Entries can either be by nomination or direct application online on the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society website. Click here to apply: Baron de Rutzen Award | Pembrokeshire County Show | Pembs Agricultural Society (pembsshow.org)

The closing date for nominations and applications is at noon on Wednesday, 29 May 2024.

Farming

Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society elect new president

Published

4 weeks ago

April 1, 2024

Tom Sinclair

ARABLE and beef farmer, Adam Thorne, has been unanimously elected to become the new President of Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society for the year ahead. Adam is the third generation of his family to hold the position.

During the Annual General Meeting of Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society, held last week on the Pembrokeshire Showground, Mr Tim John and his wife Margaret John were also voted in as Presidents elect.

Adam Thorne has had a long association with Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society. After visiting the show as a toddler, then helping show the family’s pedigree Herefords, his uncle got him into helping him with stewarding in his early teens. From there he progressed to being a Steward with his own section, Commercial Cattle, and then also the Butcher’s Lambs section.

From stewarding, Adam became involved with committee work, starting as an Executive and then on to the former Finance and General Purposes Committee. He has been Chairman of the Estates Committee for 12 years and is now a Board member and a Trustee.

Adam said, “I am proud of my long association with Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society. I am the third generation to now be President, following my late grandfather, Walter Thorne, my father, Robert Thorne and more recently my uncle, George Thorne. I am looking forward to my year in the prestigious position.”

Away from his work with the society, Adam runs the family’s arable and beef farm in Robeston West, Milford Haven. He has been heavily involved with Tiers Cross YFC from an early age, having been Club Secretary twice and Chairman. He has also sat on Pembrokeshire County YFC Committees and the Wales YFC Rural Affairs Committee.

The 2024 Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society officeholders, announced at the AGM, include Miss Ffion Edwards who was awarded the role of Ambassador at last year’s show. Ffion, a nurse from Maenclochog, has enjoyed many years of attending the county show and believes that there are so many good elements to it. Ffion has been a member of Llysyfran YFC for 15 years and enjoys every aspect of young farmers – trying new experiences, competing and travelling to name a few. Mrs Nicola Owen was also elected as the Honorary Treasurer.

Brian Jones, the outgoing Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society President, took the opportunity to thank everyone who had helped and supported him throughout his presidency. During his year as President, Brian and his wife Helen, raised a tremendous amount of money for various charities including the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society, RABI, Tir Dewi and the DPJ Foundation. Brian also gave his assurances that Castell Howell will continue to sponsor the Food Hall for future years.

Pembrokeshire County Show, the largest county agricultural show in Wales, will be held over two days again this summer on 14 and 15 August. Everyone is invited to attend the celebration of rural life in the county.

Pictured (left to right): Ffion Edwards the Ambassador for 2024; Adam Thorne, President; Margaret and Tim John, the Presidents Elect.

Farming

£1,000 bursary award available to Pembrokeshire agricultural students

Published

1 month ago

March 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE Agricultural Society’s £1,000 Bursary Award is now open for applications from students studying agriculture, veterinary science, agricultural engineering, food technology, forestry or other subjects allied to agriculture.

The Student Bursary Award 2024 is available to students, from Pembrokeshire, who are currently studying or have been accepted to start their studies. They can apply for this financial support to assist with their chosen college or career path.

Last year’s winner of the award was Lottie Wilson from Hayscastle. Lottie was studying agriculture at the University of Nottingham when she applied for the bursary. When she is at home she is a general dairy farm worker as well as a lambing hand and a calving beef herd assistant. In 2021 she was the top agriculture student at Hartpury College.

Robert James, Chairman of the Society’s Bursary Committee said, “I would urge all Pembrokeshire students who study subjects that are clearly aligned to agriculture to apply for this bursary as it won’t only assist with your studies but will also give you great experiences such as undertaking an interview which is a key employment skill. It will also assist in your future career within the agriculture industry.”

“A panel of independent judges will draw up a short list of candidates who will be interviewed and the winning candidate will be asked to give a short presentation at a future meeting of the society’s show council.

“The standard of applications has always been exceptional which gives a lot of heart that there are a lot of very talented young people in our community. We are very much looking forward to receiving applications for this year’s bursary and hearing from the younger generation.”

Qualifying students must not have won the student bursary on a previous occasion, the applicant must be studying or has been accepted to study agriculture or allied subjects at a UK college or university at A-Level or higher and the applicant’s family home must be in Pembrokeshire.

The bursary is tax free and will be awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the panel of judges, has submitted the best dissertation on how the bursary will assist them to complete their course of study.

Further details and the entry form can be found online: Student Bursary Award | Pembrokeshire County Show | Pembs Agricultural Society (pembsshow.org) or by calling the show office: 01437 764331. The closing date for applications is noon on Monday, 1 July 2024.