Farming

Farming Connect skills courses key to staff development at horticulture business

Published

12 months ago

February 16, 2024

A PLANT nursery that specialises in cultivating new and unusual species is applying the ethos of nurturing to its workforce too by utilising Farming Connect training courses and knowledge transfer events to fill skills gaps and help its staff develop.

Tucked away in the countryside on the outskirts of Caernarfon, Seiont propagates and grows hundreds of varieties of shrubs and perennial plants, including a big collection of ferns, using cuttings from its own mother stock and from tissue culture imported from laboratories across the globe.

The team of 13 is headed by managing director Neil Alcock.

He appreciates the value of skills and training opportunities having joined the family-run business as a trainee in 1987.

Having a well-trained, capable team is important for any business, says Neil.

“We have enrolled the staff on several training courses run by Farming Connect, from how to operate a forklift safely, first aid and health and safety to rodent control and manual lifting. All are important in a business like ours,’’ he says.

“Horticulture is an industry which runs on very tight margins, so, to have that helping hand with funded courses really does make a difference.’’

All training courses offered by Farming Connect are subsidised by up to 80% for registered individuals.

Knowledge transfer events run by Farming Connect have also helped the team build on their expertise.

After a site visit to a plant nursery in Hereford last year, the team came back “bursting with ideas’’, says Neil.

Seiont has also been host to Farming Connect events, when horticulture experts David Talbot and Chris Creed led the discussion on biological control methods and peat-free growing last autumn.

“We have been leading the way on peat-free growing but we will need to take this further as Wales transitions away from peat completely, so it is important for us to hear the latest thinking on this,’’ says Neil.

The event drew growers from across Wales, he adds. “The staff love it when we host open days, they allow them to interact with others in the industry.

“Any business can become insular and blinkered if people don’t get out and see and hear what others are doing and saying.

“Even though we are a very different business to the smaller nurseries who sell direct to the public there are several things that affect us all, such as legislation on plant protection products.’’

Seiont operates on a 25-acre site and has a 3,500m² propagation glasshouse at the heart of the operation.

It sells around half a million plugs annually, and grows others in polytunnels in 9cm pots to supply wholesalers who sell to the retail trade.

Every year new varieties are introduced – more recently Dryopteris Jurassic Gold, a fern with gold foliage that originated from a grower in Dorset.

“We sent the spores to a tissue culture laboratory and those produced tiny plants, we created 20,000 units from those,’’ Neil explains.

Another new variety is a miniature pampas grass, Tiny Pampa, which grow to a diminutive 60cm.

Seiont’s customer portfolio ranges from smaller retailers who grow young plants themselves, to the biggest plant finishers who supply garden centre chains and DIY stores, as well as the nation’s major specialised online retailers.

Introducing new varieties to the market gives Neil and his team a huge sense of achievement.

“There is something very satisfying about going into a retailer and seeing one of our new plants for sale, plants that originated from a cutting or a spore,’’ he says.

Crime

Farmer cleared of restraining order breach at Haverfordwest court

Published

1 week ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A PEMBROKESHIRE man has been found not guilty of breaching a restraining order after being accused of referencing a protected individual in a Facebook post.

Philip Stoddart, 58, of Monkhill Farm, St Ishmaels, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday (Jan 20) to face the charge. The prosecution, led by Ann Griffiths on behalf of the crown, alleged that between December 4 and December 13, 2023, Stoddart made a Facebook post that, by inference, referred to a person he was prohibited from contacting under a restraining order imposed by Swansea Crown Court on April 16, 2021.

The restraining order, issued under Section 360 of the Sentencing Act 2020, barred Stoddart from making any form of contact with her.

Prosecutors argued that the Facebook post constituted a breach of the order, contrary to Section 363 of the same act.

Stoddart denied the allegations and entered a not guilty plea during a prior hearing on October 1, 2024.

Magistrates Professor N. Negus, Mr. J. Steadman, and Mrs. J. Morris presided over the trial, which concluded on Monday.

After reviewing the evidence, the bench found Stoddart not guilty, dismissing the case.

The dismissal brings to a close legal proceedings that had been ongoing for over a year.

Farming

Get up to £5,000 for on-farm trials in Wales

Published

1 week ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

FARMERS in Wales are being called to apply for the next round of funding for on-farm trials.

The Farming Connect initiative, which has funded projects such as growing lucerne in Brecon, is inviting applications for the Try Out Fund.

The new application window opens on January 27, 2025, and will run until February 17.

Successful applicants will be awarded up to £5,000 to help fund trials that experiment with new ideas on their farms.

The last round of funding supported several projects, including integrated pest management at a pick-your-own strawberry enterprise.

Menna Williams, the Farming Connect project lead, said: “Farming Connect has developed the Try Out Fund to address specific local problems or opportunities with the aim of improving efficiencies and profitability within agricultural businesses whilst protecting the environment.”

She added: “There are many changes on the horizon for agriculture, and now is a great time for farm businesses to explore an idea that could benefit them, allowing farms to tackle ‘real’ problems or check if a research idea works in practice.”

The fund is open to individuals or groups of up to four farmers and/or growers in Wales who have identified a local or specific problem or opportunity.

Ms Williams said: “Because these ideas are initiated by farmers themselves, they are really passionate about them, giving them 100 per cent effort right from the start.”

Projects should focus on enhancing production efficiencies and profitability while ensuring environmental protection through adherence to sustainable land management principles.

A guidance handbook is accessible on the Farming Connect website, providing support for farmers in outlining their projects and completing the application process.

To apply, individuals must be registered with Farming Connect and capable of finishing their projects by January 2026.

Ms Williams explained: “Funding can be used for technical assistance, sampling, testing and other reasonable expenses such as those relating to short-term hire of specialist equipment or facilities directly relating to the project.”

The findings will be shared with other producers in Wales by collaborating with a Farming Connect team member.

Interested parties can apply on the Farming Connect website.

To receive the link or get further information, contact [email protected].

Farming

Funding window to re-open for on-farm trials in Wales

Published

1 week ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

WITH Farming Connect-funded trials ranging from growing lucerne in Brecon to establishing sunflowers as a companion crop with maize, farmers are being invited to apply for the next round of funding from the initiative that brought these projects to life.

The new application window for the Try Out Fund opens on 27January2025 and will run until 17 February. Successful applicants will be awarded up to £5,000 to help fund on-farm trials that experiment with new ideas. The last round of funding saw farmers supported for several projects including integrated pest management at pick your own strawberry enterprise.

Project lead Menna Williams of Farming Connect said the aim is for farmers to compare different treatments or management systems – the project is not intended to fund new equipment she stressed.

“Farming Connect has developed the Try-Out Fund to address specific local problems or opportunities with the aim of improving efficiencies and profitability within agricultural businesses whilst protecting the environment,’’ she said. “There are many changes on the horizon for agriculture, and now is a great time for farm businesses to explore an idea that could benefit them, allowing farms to tackle ‘real’ problems or check if a research idea works in practice.’’

The fund is open to individuals or groups of up to four farmers and/or growers in Wales who have identified a local or specific problem or opportunity.

“Because these ideas are initiated by farmers themselves, they are really passionate about them, giving them 100% effort right from the start,’’ said Ms Williams.

Suitable projects must aim to improve production efficiencies and profitability whilst protecting the environment by aligning with sustainable land management outcomes. A guidance handbook is available on the Farming Connect website to help farmers scope their project and complete the application form.

Applicants must be registered with Farming Connect and be able to complete their projects by January 2026.