Teulu Rhydonnen Cefn Gwlad

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-I'm visiting Rhydonnen Isaf Farm,

-Rhewl, Llangollen.

-It's the home of Eryl and Trefor

-Lloyd Jones and the boys.

-The spot where I'm standing

-is about 1,000 feet above sea level.

-I'm surrounded by Welsh Mountain

-sheep and cross-bred lambs.

-The farm is fairly self-sufficient,

-with land in the valley, too.

-Let's go and look for the lads.

-THE RHYDONNEN FAMILY

-We'll be meeting Trefor Jones

-and his brother, Eryl.

-Many generations of their family

-have farmed at Rhydonnen.

-They stick

-to traditional farming methods.

-After a long winter, sheep and lambs

-return to the mountain...

-..bringing it to life.

-Dairy cows are getting used

-to a new milking parlour.

-Another year of work doesn't

-trouble the farm's old machines.

-April 2016

-Having spent some time working at

-Llysfasi agricultural college...

-..Trefor has now joined his brother,

-Eryl, back at the farm.

-Trefor's sons, Iwan and Alun,

-also work on the farm.

-Was this a part

-of the original farm?

-Yes - it's on the boundary between

-Cefn Coed Farm and Rhydonnen.

-In the mid '70s, a decision was made

-to fence the common...

-..to facilitate sheep farming.

-Everyone lost the common, of course,

-but it was a matter of reclaiming.

-It appears to be very healthy land.

-I'm sure it has its seasons.

-It used to be covered

-in gorse and bracken.

-You've improved the soil.

-Yes.

-How long has it been

-a part of the farm?

-This land was bought

-in the early '80s.

-You also have plenty of land

-down in the valley.

-It's a good contrast.

-Yes, but we try to make the most

-of these uplands.

-Animals graze up here

-until late June or July...

-..if the weather remains dry.

-It also helps

-with feeding stock in winter.

-It's mid April,

-and the lambs are looking strong.

-They have plenty of grazing.

-They have plenty of grazing.

-

-Lambing begins in early March.

-The lambs are still quite young

-but they're growing well.

-Does lambing take place indoors?

-All the sheep are brought inside,

-apart from a few late lambers.

-The sheep are brought inside

-in early January.

-They're all brought inside.

-Located halfway between the farm

-and the uplands...

-..are pens for managing the sheep.

-Today, Eryl - Trefor's brother -

-and his nephew, Iwan...

-..are dosing and marking the sheep.

-Female lambs to the right

-and male lambs to the left...

-..as you can see.

-We use different colours - blue

-for male lambs and red for females.

-We all have our own systems.

-We all have our own systems.

-

-That's true enough.

-We haven't started shearing.

-We haven't started shearing.

-

-I noticed.

-A job for a spare five minutes!

-It's too cold today.

-It's too cold today.

-Do you castrate the males?

-Do you castrate the males?

-

-No.

-We sell most of them as fatstock.

-That's what we've done this year.

-But if the weather is too dry,

-we sell some of them as stores.

-We can't keep them all.

-The market for stores

-has been favourable.

-Yes, it has.

-Yes, it has.

-

-If your lambs are the right shape.

-There have been sheep pens here

-since the late '30s.

-Since my grandfather's day.

-We've rebuilt the old pens

-and laid concrete, of course.

-Do you get lots of twins?

-Yes.

-We have over 450 twins.

-That's a lot of twins.

-About 30 ewes had triplets...

-..but it's not a desirable trait

-in Welsh Mountain sheep.

-We put them all

-through the dipping tub.

-We should all return to dipping.

-Very few do so.

-Biting lice can cause

-terrible health problems.

-It's a cruel condition.

-It's a cruel condition.

-

-So is sheep scab.

-I'm fully aware that people

-don't eat lambs' heads...

-..but I like to see animals

-with pretty heads.

-It doesn't matter

-what kind of animal it is.

-They end up in the bin, though.

-Yes, they end up in the bin.

-Iwan must have a pretty head -

-he's getting married in August!

-Well done!

-At the end of August.

-Rhydonnen Farm

-isn't completely self-sufficient...

-..but they make the most

-of natural resources.

-The farm's woodlands provide

-heating fuel throughout the year.

-This is very modern, Trefor.

-This is very modern, Trefor.

-

-Yes, it is.

-This is a good place to stand

-when it's cold.

-Apart from heating the house,

-what else does it heat?

-The dairy and the parlour -

-there's a heater in the parlour.

-It provides plenty of hot water too.

-More than we used previously,

-heated by electricity.

-We can use more hot water,

-and things work better.

-There's nothing worse

-than a freezing dairy.

-No.

-Then again, you've...

-You have plenty of wood.

-That's right.

-Must you dry the wood?

-Must you dry the wood?

-

-It can cope with damper wood.

-But it works best with dry wood.

-Talking about wood -

-damp old logs...

-..dripping with moisture.

-Doesn't it block up the system?

-Doesn't it block up the system?

-

-It just produces white steam.

-But more heat goes into drying

-the wood rather than heating water.

-That's if the logs are very fresh,

-or it's sappy wood such as larch.

-Very fresh wood contains too much

-sap, which produces a lot of tar.

-Is your bedroom warm

-when you wake up?

-You get up at 4.00am.

-We've used this burner

-for nearly three years...

-..and the fire has rarely gone out,

-apart from when it's been serviced.

-We carry out maintenance

-every two or three weeks...

-..and there's no need

-to put the fire out.

-We remove the ashes every ten days.

-Rhydonnen Farm has land

-on the banks of the River Dee.

-Trefor is making the most

-of the mild weather.

-May 2016

-Well, Trefor.

-Well, Trefor.

-

-How are you?

-Spring has arrived

-and you're ploughing.

-Yes, indeed.

-Yes, indeed.

-

-What has happened to old traditions?

-Most people plough

-in summer or autumn.

-But it's nice to see ploughing

-being done in spring.

-That's the time to bury dampness.

-This is good, red soil.

-Yes, and it's quite light.

-Yes, and it's quite light.

-

-You're not ploughing too deeply.

-That's right, no more

-than about five inches deep.

-Four inches, in some places.

-Will you be sowing barley?

-Yes, with grass seed

-sown beneath it.

-That's why our ploughing

-is done later.

-I would have ploughed in March

-if I wasn't undersowing.

-It's to avoid frosts.

-We sow grass seed about three weeks

-after the main crop.

-We wait for warmer weather.

-Grass seed is sown

-before the main crop grows too tall.

-That works better with fine seed.

-I use a drill.

-We still use a drill that Dad

-bought, brand-new, after the war.

-It's just over 70 years old

-and still running like clockwork.

-It has two large iron wheels.

-It's been used all around the area,

-over the years, sowing seeds.

-Well done!

-This ploughing won't take long.

-No, I'm not creating furrows.

-This plough is a little wider,

-which saves time.

-This plough has five blades.

-This plough has five blades.

-

-Very good.

-I'll let you get on with it.

-Ploughing is very enjoyable.

-Yes, and you know

-you have a new season ahead of you.

-In a few months' time, this field

-will be transformed with new growth.

-There's nothing better than farming

-- when the weather is right.

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-Rhydonnen Farm

-has lots of fertile land...

-..and it has also been blessed

-with woodlands.

-Wood is used regularly on the farm

-for fencing and so on.

-Felling a tree is the first step.

-That's a substantial tree.

-It's close to the house,

-which is convenient.

-We'll cut it up -

-it'll provide plenty of rails.

-Who planted it -

-members of your family?

-No, not my family.

-The trees

-had already been planted...

-..when the land was bought

-in the '80s.

-What will you do next?

-Will you finish trimming it?

-It'll be cut into 12-foot lengths...

-..which we'll drag out

-with a tractor.

-You have lots of equipment.

-I've been looking at the tractor.

-We've had the winch

-for about ten years.

-It's used to drag trees out.

-We also use it for tidying up

-around the farm.

-You do most things yourselves -

-you don't use contractors.

-We use contractors for scanning.

-We don't do our own scanning!

-That's the only thing, I think.

-We've always done our own shearing.

-The boys have been raised

-to do this work.

-Yes, and they know what to do.

-They've learned how to do it.

-They've learned how to do it.

-

-Yes, from people who know.

-Not from people who tell you what

-to do but can't do it themselves!

-There are too many people like that.

-That's true enough.

-There isn't much work

-for contractors at Rhydonnen.

-After dragging the tree

-out of the forest...

-..it's taken to the huge sawmill,

-operated by Iwan.

-Iwan, what an amazing machine!

-Yes, it is.

-It's fairly new, is it?

-It's two years old.

-You make your own poles, do you?

-Yes, using larch wood.

-Do you preserve some of them?

-Do you preserve some of them?

-

-Yes, most of them.

-Apart from oak wood.

-You have valleys

-with plenty of trees, do you?

-We have lots of uses for wood,

-so we decided to buy a machine.

-Is there any demand for beams

-for houses?

-Yes, sometimes.

-Someone always wants something

-to be cut up.

-You don't treat oak?

-No, it's hard enough as it is.

-What about maintaining

-the blade's sharpness?

-You can cut about 150 poles

-before the blade needs sharpening.

-It depends how hard the timber is.

-One thing that's useful

-about harvesting your own timber...

-..it doesn't contain any nails.

-Nails can be dangerous.

-Yes, the blade won't cut.

-Can you tell me

-how much a blade costs?

-About 31.

-Something like that.

-They're not expensive.

-They're not expensive.

-

-That's not bad.

-You save more than that on posts.

-Is that a sheep trough?

-You don't often see wooden troughs,

-these days.

-It's quite useful.

-There are pieces

-hanging off the panels.

-It's good that you have an interest

-in such work.

-Trees have to brought here

-from the valley.

-It involves a lot of work.

-That's right, it's not easy.

-But you save a lot of money.

-It takes just one man

-to operate the sawmill, not two.

-What do you do

-with the smaller pieces of wood?

-We cut them up and put them

-in the biomass burner.

-We fetch them as we need them

-and cut them up.

-There's no waste at all.

-TRAIN WHISTLE

-TRAIN WHISTLE

-Here's another important task

-at Rhydonnen...

-..maintaining fences.

-After processing the wood...

-..Iwan and his brother Alun

-have plenty of fencing to do.

-A little more, I think.

-It looks good from behind!

-Yes.

-Alun, you arrived home safely.

-What time did you come home?

-About 8.30.

-Where had you been - France?

-Yes, I'd been to France

-for the weekend.

-Now, you're making sure

-the sheep can't go wandering.

-You're very fortunate.

-You have all the stuff for the job.

-A chainsaw, and it's good

-to have plenty of wood.

-You're using your own larch posts.

-Have you treated the wood?

-The poles are larch

-and rails are Douglas fir.

-It's a tradition that has been

-followed for years on the farm.

-We maintain the hedgerows too.

-We use rails to keep them neat.

-We use rails to keep them neat.

-

-Leaves are starting to grow.

-You're an experienced shearer, too.

-I do my best.

-Do you carry out contract work?

-Do you carry out contract work?

-

-Yes.

-In early May, I'll be going

-to London for two weeks.

-Then I'll be spending

-a month in Brecon.

-I'll also be working

-in the Pembroke area.

-After that, I'll come back home.

-After that, I'll come back home.

-

-Have you visited New Zealand?

-Yes, four years ago.

-It's great to be able to work on a

-farm where your forefathers worked.

-Yes.

-You can probably remember

-running and playing in these fields.

-These days, you have to work!

-Here's another lot of happy sheep.

-Lots of these lambs are twins.

-These are a little stronger.

-This is good land.

-All along the bottom of the valley.

-All along the bottom of the valley.

-

-We bought this land three years ago.

-We've put fences along the bottom.

-All the way along.

-It's healthy land for sheep.

-Will you be making silage?

-Yes, we'll make silage.

-Last year, we grew corn,

-and re-seeded after harvesting.

-The grass has grown well.

-How many sheep

-do you sell every year?

-Old ewes, you mean?

-We sell about 250 every year.

-We try to sell them early,

-in mid June.

-That's when we wean the first lambs.

-It's a means

-of cutting down on stock.

-Yes, at a time

-when grass is growing.

-Lambs are taken up the mountain -

-they need lots of room.

-These lambs are all twins.

-They're very fine lambs.

-Of course, they have good grazing.

-They'll be taken up the mountain

-in a week's time.

-Some are up there already.

-These fields will be empty

-in a week's time.

-Will you apply fertilizer?

-Will you apply fertilizer?

-

-We'll apply fertilizer.

-Then, the field is rolled.

-Do you use lime?

-Do you use lime?

-

-Use lime?

-We spread lime

-on all the upland areas last year.

-We used two tonnes of lime.

-We used two tonnes of lime.

-

-White lime?

-I don't think enough use

-is made of lime.

-You're perfectly correct.

-Have you taken part

-in Tir Gofal or Glastir schemes?

-No - we want the freedom

-to do what we think is best.

-We know how we want to farm.

-Generations of your family

-have farmed this land.

-Yes, we know how to do it.

-Yes, we know how to do it.

-

-There's no need to change.

-Not unless it's necessary.

-Today is an unusually busy day.

-Heifers are being turned out.

-The heifers can't wait!

-They're going outside

-for the first time.

-Yes, though a few spent

-some time outside last year.

-The rest of them haven't.

-There are Friesian heifers

-and five young bullocks.

-Is it cheap grazing land?

-Yes, where we keep sheep in winter.

-Yearlings spend winter there.

-You breed enough dairy heifers

-for your own needs.

-What about your Lims?

-We breed most them, too.

-Older cows, that might not make the

-best prices, are kept for breeding.

-If they've gone over 42 days,

-we don't test them.

-We keep them for breeding.

-Silage has enabled farmers

-to have more fodder available.

-Yes, everyone has more fodder.

-More fodder means

-you have less to worry about.

-You can keep cattle inside.

-The calves will have grown

-by late August.

-The others are in-calf heifers.

-Yes, the strongest heifers.

-We have 21 heifers in calf,

-due to calve from August onwards.

-You've changed back

-from Holsteins to Friesians.

-Yes, five or six years ago.

-They produce better beef calves.

-They're a better shape.

-The age of peak milk production

-has passed.

-There's more emphasis on fodder

-and reducing costs.

-If no-one wants

-what you have to sell...

-..or if you have too much

-of what people want...

-..there's no easy way out.

-No - excess produce

-drives prices down.

-The dairy industry

-is struggling with overproduction.

-We were talking about this recently.

-There used to be 34 dairy farms

-between Corwen and Llangollen...

-..and only four remain.

-They're all in this area.

-The nearest dairy farm,

-after this one, is in Gwyddelwern.

-The dairy industry has been

-transformed over the years.

-But it remains an important element

-at Rhydonnen...

-..and there's plenty of grass

-to feed the cows.

-This field looks fresh.

-It was re-seeded in September -

-in late September.

-It has grown well.

-We left it alone,

-apart from grazing a few lambs...

-..to crop it as it grew.

-Is this for cattle?

-For dairy cattle.

-It was too wet

-to bring them in last week.

-What's your grazing system?

-What's your grazing system?

-

-Strip grazing.

-We use a fence.

-An old-fashioned method.

-An old-fashioned method.

-

-It suits the size of the fields.

-We're back, less then a month later.

-We're back, less then a month later.

-

-There are hedges around each field.

-It's the same throughout the farm.

-We've always made an effort

-to take care of hedges.

-They were hand-laid, originally,

-though not in recent years.

-We don't have time to lay hedges!

-And post-and-rail fencing.

-And post-and-rail fencing.

-

-No netting.

-We don't use netting down here,

-unless it stands alone.

-If there isn't a hedge,

-we'll use netting.

-The aim is to keep sheep

-away from hedges...

-..to prevent any damage.

-We also aim to move the sheep

-in spring...

-..before the hedges

-start growing again in earnest...

-..to prevent sheep

-from killing new growth.

-That's certainly not a new problem.

-Cows are fine,

-but sheep can kill hedges.

-You grow all your silage

-along the valley floor.

-Do you make two cuts?

-Yes.

-Some fields yield three cuts.

-We rent another 50 acres of land

-next door.

-The land is used for making hay

-or silage or for growing corn.

-We also grow barley.

-Combining?

-Old agricultural methods...

-..are in evidence

-throughout the farm...

-..whether you're dealing

-with sheep...

-..or strip grazing with cattle.

-You have plenty of trees, too.

-You grow barley

-to provide fodder for cattle.

-For cattle, not sheep.

-It's used for feeding calves.

-The calves feed from a creep,

-initially...

-..before moving on to barley.

-TRAIN WHISTLE

-If I may say so, Trefor, you're

-fortunate to have so many staff...

-..your sons, your brother and you.

-You get along well, you've been

-farming here for a long time.

-Yes, we know the land well.

-You seem to enjoy every moment.

-Yes, from the time I get up,

-early in the morning.

-We have plenty to do every day.

-The months fly by.

-You don't often see

-such vintage machinery at work.

-This is rather old, Eryl.

-It's almost as old as you are, Dai!

-It's almost as old as you are, Dai!

-

-What year?

-I think it was 1943.

-I think it was 1943.

-

-Exactly right!

-Honest to God!

-I've used one of these

-dozens of times.

-Does it still work perfectly?

-Yes, and it's been used a lot.

-Years ago, my father

-would take it around other farms...

-..neighbouring farms.

-It brings back sweet memories!

-Spring barley.

-Spring barley.

-

-The seed is dressed, too.

-Yes.

-Will it sow anything

-apart from barley?

-I've used it to sow oats -

-you can see number three and four.

-Someone has to stand on the back.

-That's rather old-fashioned, too.

-That's rather old-fashioned, too.

-

-It doesn't matter, if it works!

-Some experts will tell you that two

-men are needed, but it works for us.

-That's right.

-It can measure every acre you cover.

-If the driver does his job properly.

-Fair play, he's driving well.

-Fair play, he's driving well.

-

-He's not bad.

-I feel privileged to have seen this.

-You've seen it in action.

-Is there a little more to do?

-Is there a little more to do?

-

-Yes, a little more to do.

-Good gracious!

-Hold on tight.

-Here we go.

-Here we go.

-

-Excellent!

-The discs look good.

-The discs are fine.

-It wasn't easy to get hold of it,

-during the war.

-Other farms had to sow crops

-as well, to make it worthwhile.

-It's great to be here

-this afternoon.

-We heard a cuckoo just before lunch.

-Now, I'm riding a drill

-that's as old as I am!

-Excellent!

-Excellent!

-

-I think it cost 110.

-Really?

-My mother paid nothing for me!

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-It's hot June weather

-at Rhydonnen near Llangollen.

-Along the valley floor,

-the hay harvest has begun.

-June 2016

-It's been many years since I enjoyed

-a cup of tea in a field...

-..during haymaking.

-What could be more pleasant?

-When the weather permits.

-The weather has improved,

-thank goodness...

-..though we've had heavy showers.

-We haven't had any rain

-for a fortnight.

-It rained a little last night,

-just a few drops.

-It dried as soon as it fell.

-This is a good day for baling.

-This is a good day for baling.

-

-Yes, it is.

-It's nice hay.

-It's nice hay.

-

-It should keep well.

-How much hay do you harvest?

-About 1,500 small bales of hay.

-And about 300 large bales.

-Hay makes good fodder, doesn't it?

-Yes.

-Small bales are handy.

-They're convenient,

-when the weather's bad.

-You can carry a little at a time.

-You need the right tools,

-but machines are expensive.

-Terribly expensive.

-We've had these machines

-since the late '70s.

-How much more is there to do?

-How much more is there to do?

-

-We're more than halfway there.

-Are you really?

-We made silage last week.

-This weather is good for haymaking.

-We'll have to wait and see

-what weather phase comes next.

-I think it's due to change

-at the weekend.

-We'll see what happens.

-Baling has become easier.

-Yes, it has.

-We've been using the same system

-for almost 40 years.

-You know, that little trailer -

-it's a very small trailer...

-..if you take two loads home,

-how many bales is that?

-A hundred and twelve.

-It takes 56 bales at a time.

-You have to fill it correctly...

-..making sure

-all the bales are in place.

-Then, it's easy.

-Did you say that the trailer

-is 40 years old?

-It was bought in the late '70s.

-Last year, it broke down

-for the first time.

-Before you started making silage...

-..how many bales

-would you make each year?

-Small bales, I mean.

-Twelve years ago...

-..we were still making

-about 13,000 small bales.

-Good gracious!

-These machines

-were just what you needed.

-Before that,

-we'd make 7,000 to 8,000...

-..then, we acquired more land...

-..which provided

-another 3,000 small bales.

-We'd carry those on trailers -

-250 on each one.

-We'd make three journeys a day.

-Whatever the time of year...

-..there's one daily task

-that never changes.

-The Friesian cows

-wait patiently to be milked.

-They're smart heifers, Trefor.

-They're due to calve soon.

-Do your heifers calve in September,

-generally?

-Yes, from September

-until just before the holidays.

-That's when we prefer to calve.

-You have a milking parlour, but

-didn't you use a pipeline for years?

-We started using the parlour

-in March.

-We were quite fortunate.

-We found one for sale

-near Clatterbridge Hospital...

-..on the Leverhulme Estate.

-My brother and Iwan went there...

-..after the solar panels

-were installed last year.

-We needed a three-phase generator.

-We saw an advert in the paper,

-so they went to see the generator.

-The farmer said

-he also had a parlour for sale.

-Lots of dairy farmers

-have left the industry.

-How long did it take the cows

-to get used to the parlour?

-They took about a week to ten days

-to get used to it.

-The biggest problem was their

-tendency to stick close together.

-Previously, there was more space

-between them.

-But they settled down.

-How many cows do you have?

-About 75.

-We may increase the herd a little,

-later on.

-That's a decent number.

-We have 21 heifers,

-so we may increase the herd.

-You rarely buy animals to bring in.

-We only buy bulls and rams.

-It makes sense -

-you know exactly where you stand.

-Yes - buying animals

-can cause health problems...

-..there's always some problem

-with them.

-"Everyone has problems,

-life isn't always perfect!"

-September 2016

-They say the sun shines

-on the righteous.

-It's certainly shining today

-on the Rhydonnen family.

-This is their biggest day

-of the year.

-They're selling ewe lambs

-and yearlings at Ruthin mart.

-Half-breed sheep aren't as popular.

-They've been overtaken

-by Welsh mules.

-But this farm's sheep

-are old-fashioned...

-..born to Welsh Mountain ewes,

-sired by a Border Leicester ram.

-They're hoping for a good day.

-The market in Ruthin

-is packed this morning...

-..with loads of stock

-arriving from all directions.

-As the lambs are unloaded,

-Arfon Jones is there to help.

-Do you have sheep to sell today?

-Do you have sheep to sell today?

-

-Hello, Dei.

-I'm just helping a neighbour.

-I've been helping him

-bring his sheep in.

-You were helping the lads?

-You were helping the lads?

-

-We brought two loads of lambs.

-Two loads?

-It's a neighbourly area.

-It's a neighbourly area.

-

-Yes, we're quite neighbourly.

-They're good neighbours.

-They're good lads.

-Iwan, the son, is very helpful.

-A young lad.

-It's good to see them.

-It's good to see them.

-

-They're strong and fit.

-Have you been neighbours for long?

-Yes, we've been close neighbours

-since day one.

-There's a saying...

-.."Better a neighbour nearby

-than a brother far away."

-That's very true.

-AN AUCTIONEER SPEAKS

-THROUGH A LOUDSPEAKER

-Selling is about to begin.

-The sheep are in place,

-the auctioneer is ready.

-THE AUCTIONEER SPEAKS RAPIDLY

-The farmer has waited for months,

-ever since these lambs were born...

-..to see

-how much money they'll make.

-It's an important moment -

-there are bills to be paid.

-It's these yearlings

-that will pay those bills.

-Lads, you must be satisfied

-with the results.

-Very satisfied.

-Prices were good.

-Have some of those farmers

-bought from you before?

-Yes, we see them coming back.

-If animals are physically fit

-and have a good head...

-..they'll sell.

-Yes, they'll sell.

-I think the lambs fetched

-15 to 18 each...

-..I haven't worked it out, yet...

-..on average.

-Ewes were selling

-for about 12 or so.

-I watched as they were sold

-and taken away.

-There's a lot of work involved,

-right from the start.

-I was talking to some of the buyers.

-They've received a little more

-for their fat lambs this year.

-Things weren't so good last year.

-Standards were high throughout.

-Yes, they were.

-The auctioneer was on his toes.

-What's the next step?

-Finishing the harvest?

-I hope we'll be combining

-this afternoon.

-While it's still sunny.

-What about holidays -

-will you go on safari?!

-Enjoyable work is like a holiday!

-It's not a burden.

-.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-It's almost the end of summer.

-Harvesting is gradually

-coming to an end at Rhydonnen.

-The old combines are running

-as smoothly as ever.

-The boys have done well

-to look after their machines.

-The two combines are working well.

-The two combines are working well.

-

-Yes, it's amazing.

-This is the older one -

-it's almost as old as I am.

-But it's still going strong.

-All your machines

-have a good lifespan.

-You look after them.

-You look after them.

-

-They're kept inside.

-Ready to bring out

-when the weather's right.

-The weather is glorious today.

-Most of the work has been done.

-The grain is good.

-It's been quite damp recently.

-This has always been a popular

-method for growing cereals.

-Some people may laugh,

-but it works for us.

-The yield may be lower, of course.

-We're ready for next year.

-You'll bring fat lambs

-into the field, will you?

-It'll also provide

-a few small bales of straw.

-It all helps.

-It all helps.

-

-There's quite a lot of grain.

-Yes, there is.

-We've had a good crop.

-It's a good feeling, isn't it.

-As winter approaches,

-you have plenty of fodder.

-That's nice to know.

-It's good if there's still some

-fodder to spare when spring comes.

-And if there is, you keep it,

-in case you'll need it.

-Some farmers

-will sell whatever's left over.

-Years ago, people wouldn't dream

-of selling any surplus.

-They'd keep it in the barn

-for use in early winter.

-Or it would make a nice, dry bale

-in spring, with a little grass.

-We're being old-fashioned again!

-We're being old-fashioned again!

-

-That's great!

-It helps us pay our bills.

-It works.

-The combine is roaring away

-like Concorde!

-The machine may be old,

-but Trefor likes it.

-It didn't want to stop!

-Just like us!

-This must be the best weather

-we've had for years.

-It came on suddenly -

-it's been miserable enough.

-Today is very hot.

-Today is very hot.

-

-It came on suddenly.

-There's plenty of grain.

-A bit too much -

-I've had to cut it high.

-The old combine is running well.

-The old combine is running well.

-

-Yes, it's a good machine.

-We're lucky to have it.

-I used to work at Llysfasi College.

-I'd driven it at work, for 15 years.

-I left, then I came across it

-two years ago.

-My son was on the internet,

-looking for a combine.

-It was time to retire

-our old combine...

-..though we kept it as an antique.

-We bought this,

-the combine I'd used at work.

-That shows how close it is

-to your heart!

-You talk about machines

-in affectionate terms!

-Very good!

-It's nice that you do

-all the work yourselves.

-Yes, we can work whenever we choose.

-You have a comfortable place to sit.

-And I imagine

-your wallet is quite full today!

-Yes, we did well at the sale!

-The year is drawing to its end.

-Leaves are changing colour.

-I've enjoyed this visit enormously.

-Rhydonnen, Llangollen,

-is a family farm at its best...

-..run by two brothers and two sons.

-For this farm, the future

-is as bright as it has ever been.

-Here it is...

-..the new building.

-You'll have to explain to me

-what it is.

-First of all, what was

-your original plan for the shed?

-A shed for keeping cattle.

-Then I came across

-an electricity generating unit.

-We already had the biomass burner

-for generating heat.

-Then we heard about

-combined heat and power units.

-Will you be using waste wood?

-Will you be using waste wood?

-

-Some waste wood, yes.

-Initially, we'll buy wood chips -

-they have to be a certain standard.

-Burning chips produce gas...

-..which drives an engine,

-which turns a generator.

-It produces almost 100 kilowatts,

-and it works night and day.

-And electricity that's surplus

-to your needs goes into the grid?

-So you'll be earning money

-at the same time?

-Exactly.

-Exactly.

-

-More money for the farm.

-Yes - it'll be another arm

-of the business.

-We've seen all four seasons,

-more or less...

-..at Rhydonnen, Rhewl, Llangollen.

-We've come back today,

-towards the end of the year.

-I notice you're making the most

-of your rooftops...

-..in order to generate electricity

-for nothing.

-You've put a lot of effort into it.

-You've put a lot of effort into it.

-

-It's a necessity.

-This is a time of change.

-The European Single Farm Payment

-will disappear.

-No-one knows what will replace it.

-We need greater security.

-Alternative sources of income

-will enable us to keep farming.

-Everything on this farm

-works as it should.

-You wouldn't change anything.

-No, we wouldn't -

-we practise what we were taught...

-..and everything works well.

-Your parents worked this farm.

-Your parents worked this farm.

-

-And my grandfather.

-He was followed by my father

-and my brother.

-My father died in 2011.

-Since then, Eryl and I

-and the children have carried on.

-We want to be left alone

-to do what we want.

-S4C subtitles by Trosol Cyf.

-.