Dewi Jenkins Cefn Gwlad

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-When you mention Tynygraig farm

-in Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion...

-..you think of Welsh sheep

-and Welsh Black cattle.

-Now, there's a new addition

-to that list.

-The son, Dewi, is a dab hand

-in the world of sheepdog trials.

-Alongside the sheep and cattle...

-..he's a supporter of Welsh culture

-and a young man to boot.

-Born and raised on a sheep farm...

-..it's no wonder

-that handling dogs...

-..has been in Dewi's blood

-since he was a child.

-Not many 25-year-old farmers have

-mastered the art of shepherding...

-..as well as Dewi Tynygraig.

-He's one of the best sheepdog

-breeders and trainers in Wales.

-At this year's Royal Welsh Show,

-he won the Dr Emrys Evans Award...

-..with the theme

-of shepherding skills.

-Also farming here are Dewi's

-parents, Enoch and Marged...

-..and his grandfather, Gwilym.

-In his late eighties,

-he's still working every day.

-Dewi has clearly followed

-in his grandfather's footsteps.

-He's a bit of a character himself.

-Where do you get the time

-to train these dogs?

-It does take time.

-I try to steal time

-in the evenings.

-Moss sires dogs that are easy

-to teach, which is a great help.

-You see the dogs improving

-every evening they're out.

-Selling dogs isn't a problem.

-They leave here like hot cakes.

-They leave here like hot cakes.

-

-I'm not sure about that.

-I've had some good ones recently.

-We'll see how it goes

-at the next sales.

-I train them in the evenings.

-Having dogs that are easy to teach

-is half the battle.

-Dogs that are willing to learn.

-The dogs have to please, or they

-won't come back to buy again.

-That's crucial.

-I like to give the dogs

-a lot of farm work.

-When they leave me,

-they've done a bit of farm work.

-That's what buyers want

-- a dog to work at home.

-The farm lends itself to that.

-You have plenty of sheep

-with which to work...

-..and lots of terrain

-that dogs find difficult.

-Exactly.

-Exactly.

-

-That's very helpful.

-My daily life involves sheep.

-I tend to take a young dog...

-..instead of an experienced one

-every time.

-Then the young dogs

-learn quite quickly.

-As well as training sheepdogs,

-Dewi has many other talents.

-One of them is performing on stage.

-Who could he be impersonating here?

-The little tinker!

-Goodness me, this is a lovely place.

-How are you all?

-There's work to do on the belly.

-Dewi has been raised to respect

-the finer points of farming.

-Breeding cattle and sheep,

-and running sheepdogs.

-His talents also include shearing.

-That one didn't take long, Dewi.

-That one didn't take long, Dewi.

-

-No. Some are more still than others.

-You're more used to Welsh lambs

-than cross-breeds.

-Yes, most of our lambs at home

-are Welsh lambs.

-When did you start shearing?

-I started here at home

-when I was about 15 years old.

-Just learning with my father...

-..then I went to New Zealand

-when I was 19.

-What was that like?

-What was that like?

-

-It was a good experience.

-You learn a lot

-when you go to New Zealand.

-All you do every day is shear.

-I learnt a lot there.

-Since then, I shear at home every

-summer, and go round other farms.

-What are the main competitions

-that you've won so far?

-I wouldn't say I've won a lot...

-..but I like to go around

-the lamb shows in summer.

-The Welsh lamb shows.

-Cneifio Cothi, Lampeter,

-the Royal Welsh Show and Corwen.

-They're the main ones.

-I've got to four finals out of

-the last five Royal Welsh Shows.

-Have you?

-I love competing, but it's hard

-to find time for everything.

-Do the nerves kick in with an

-audience, or if a sheep struggles?

-That used to happen,

-but you get used to it.

-It's the same with the dogs.

-Everyone's nervous at first,

-but it's OK once you get used to it.

-You get these honours.

-Tal-y-bont specializes

-in speed shearing...

-..on the evening of the show.

-It's a successful night and has gone

-from strength to strength.

-We started five years ago

-with one stand, one machine.

-There were three machines this year.

-There were three machines this year.

-

-You did well that night.

-Yes, good enough.

-I got the second-fastest time

-of the night at Tal-y-bont.

-Nineteen seconds.

-To shear...

-To shear...

-

-One lamb, yes.

-It just happened to stay still.

-That's where luck comes in to it.

-That's where luck comes in to it.

-

-Was it 19 seconds or 19 minutes?

-Maybe!

-I'd take 19 days!

-For about 30 days every year,

-Dewi and his dogs...

-..head to the Forestry Commission's

-uplands near Nant y Moch.

-That's where many stray sheep

-cause damage to young trees.

-The task facing Dewi is to gather

-as many as he can of those sheep...

-..on what is very tough terrain.

-We've got it now, Jones.

-We've got it now, Jones.

-You wouldn't think

-they're bad sheep...

-..but once they're in those trees,

-they'll go everywhere.

-They're alright here.

-Where did they go?

-There they are.

-There they are.

-

-As you said, there they are.

-Will you get those back?

-Will you get those back?

-

-I doubt it, but I don't mind.

-There's quite a gang here.

-Get these into the trailer

-and we'll be fine.

-Judging by their fleece,

-they've been here a while.

-Yes, two or three years.

-Those lambs look well.

-There's lots of food in the forest.

-How will we load these?

-How will we load these?

-

-I'll try two dogs either side.

-If we got them here,

-they wouldn't get up there.

-We'll try that then, Dai.

-We'll try that then, Dai.

-

-I can watch this side.

-I'll fetch the trailer.

-I think we've got it.

-I think we've got it.

-

-Hopefully, Dai.

-We'll soon see.

-Is there hope, Dai?

-I think there is now.

-We'll try them slowly.

-They're standing still now.

-But these sheep don't understand

-the concept of slowly.

-Before we could turn round,

-they'd got away again...

-..despite the efforts

-of the two wonderful dogs.

-That black-faced ewe is a cuckoo!

-Stay there.

-Stay. That'll do, Moss.

-Come by, Moss.

-Go back, Seren. Stay there.

-Come by, Moss.

-Come by, Moss.

-Stay there.

-Stay there!

-Away, Moss.

-Settle down. Moss, settle down.

-Off goes Dewi after the errant ewes.

-This time, he's successful.

-Come by, come by, come by!

-They're terrible sheep.

-Good grief.

-I'm so pumped up,

-I can't find the switches!

-Moss was spent there.

-The Welsh bitch led the way.

-Good boys!

-These forest sheep are wilful.

-They know where to escape.

-Hell's bells, they got away quickly.

-Hell's bells, they got away quickly.

-

-With their tongues out.

-I thought we were finished.

-I thought that Moss was finished

-in the stream.

-It's a tough job.

-It's a tough job.

-

-But worth it when you catch some.

-Come by, come by.

-That's an awful ewe.

-That's an awful ewe.

-

-I thought it might be a ram!

-Stand. Stay there.

-Stand.

-I'm tired now, Dai. Tired out.

-I can well believe it.

-You have good dogs.

-They're a good pair.

-Stay there.

-Drive on, Moss.

-Come by.

-Stay there.

-Seren!

-Stay there.

-Good girl, stay there.

-Stay.

-Stay. We've got them, Dai.

-We've got them.

-Stand.

-Good job.

-I'll tell you one thing.

-At the international trials

-last week...

-..I don't know

-how many of the dogs there...

-..would have brought these

-down from the top to here.

-Fair play, they're a good pair.

-You're not bad either.

-That's a nice feeling.

-There's nowhere near that sells tea.

-No, we'll go home. I'm thirsty too.

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-One of the heroes of Dewi Jenkins,

-Tynygraig, Tal-y-bont...

-..is his grandfather,

-Gwilym Jenkins.

-Generations of the family

-have farmed here...

-..and succession is important.

-There's a constant need

-for fence posts...

-..to reinforce boundaries

-on any upland farm.

-Gwilym still saws his own posts

-as he has done all his life.

-That's better, Gwilym!

-That's better, Gwilym!

-

-Yes.

-Judging by these piles,

-nothing goes to waste here.

-No, no waste.

-The offcuts go on the fire

-and the peelings go under the cows.

-These trees were planted

-by you and your father.

-My father planted them

-after the war.

-If you didn't plant trees,

-the government would take the land.

-You're still here to tell the story.

-Do you mind telling us

-how old you are?

-I was born in 1928,

-so you do the sum.

-Cardis are meant to be good at sums!

-About 88?

-About 88?

-

-There you are.

-And you move like a youngster.

-And you move like a youngster.

-

-I feel like a youngster.

-How long have you been making posts?

-You must have bought a few.

-You must have bought a few.

-

-I've never bought one.

-And my sons won't need to buy

-any fencing posts either.

-My father planted 25 acres of trees.

-They're 60 years old

-and they're all heartwood.

-I had noticed that myself.

-You don't need to preserve them.

-Nothing will seep into it.

-And your grandson

-is following in your footsteps.

-He's been coming to the shed

-to be educated!

-Dewi has started making them too.

-You have to be careful

-with this old saw.

-Very careful.

-Yes, you're right.

-It's a big year for you.

-Dewi has had

-an extremely successful year.

-But you're president

-of the Welsh Black Cattle Society.

-You must feel that's a great honour.

-You must feel that's a great honour.

-

-It is an honour, yes.

-But I worried about it a lot.

-But I worried about it a lot.

-

-You don't need to worry.

-But yes, it is an honour.

-I've always kept Welsh Black cattle.

-I've raised a family very easily

-with the black cow.

-Yes, four children,

-and now the grandchildren.

-Eleven grandchildren.

-Goodness me.

-That's how a man's wealth is valued.

-That's how a man's wealth is valued.

-

-You're right.

-You're right.

-You make a man feel envious

-to be honest.

-You only had the one!

-I lost the recipe!

-The Tynygraig family

-have been renowned for many years...

-..for the high standard

-of their sheep and lambs.

-Today, Moss the faithful sheepdog...

-..helps to separate the rams.

-Moss, Moss, Moss, Moss!

-At this time, when rams are sold...

-..you lose a lot of sleep.

-We go around farms now

-a week or two before a sale...

-..to see the rams

-and to select what's available.

-Many of the rams have been selected

-before the sale nowadays.

-It's happened with rams

-in Scotland for years.

-They called it Tup Sunday,

-the Sunday before the big sales.

-They used to go around...

-..and they were given something

-medicinal to help them on their way.

-That's why the prices in Scotland

-were so high!

-But these are making

-good prices now as well.

-It's a difficult breed

-to get everything correct.

-When you do, they're valuable.

-These are good ones, I must say.

-You never know what you've got

-until you go to a sale and compare.

-I see the dog

-keeping them together there.

-He's been a good dog for you.

-Yes,

-he's eight and a half years old.

-He'll be nine in March.

-And you're trying to get

-a pup of his to take his place.

-Yes, I'll need something soon.

-Today, Dewi's father, Enoch Jenkins,

-needs a helping hand...

-..to load the tack lambs.

-Here, as on every farm,

-the work is never-ending.

-They loaded easily.

-Mountain sheep.

-So they're off to Pembrokeshire.

-So they're off to Pembrokeshire.

-

-Yes.

-Until when, Enoch?

-The beginning of April.

-That'll soon come.

-We hope they get some pasture

-to grow a little.

-They're all off to the same place,

-are they?

-Yes, we're fortunate.

-That's good.

-It's warmer

-in Pembrokeshire than here.

-They don't get much frost there.

-You'll go down to see them

-at least once over the winter.

-Yes, I'll go down to see them

-a few times, probably.

-The family is also renowned

-for keeping Welsh Black cattle.

-Tynygraig is home to a fine herd.

-Do you calve all year round?

-No, three quarters in spring

-and the rest in the autumn.

-And you buy a bull and use it,

-rather than AI or anything?

-AI very rarely,

-but we usually buy a bull.

-You're doing a good job.

-They all look very similar.

-They make breeding easier.

-I'm sure they haven't been

-in this field long.

-They go through grass at this time.

-They go through grass at this time.

-

-More this year than for many years.

-These will have to come in first,

-as they're churning up the field.

-A big gang makes a mess.

-You have to bring them in when

-reseeding costs over 100 an acre.

-There's another shower coming.

-There's another shower coming.

-

-Yes.

-Someone passed earlier

-and said it'd be dry for an hour.

-He was wrong!

-The rest of the Welsh Blacks

-are up on higher ground...

-..looking out over the sea.

-Up here, Dewi relies on good dogs

-to help control the cattle.

-These dogs are great with cattle.

-The Welsh dogs

-are hard to beat at this job.

-That little bitch

-is in amongst them, no messing.

-Once cows know

-they can boss a dog...

-..they'll go

-to the end of the field.

-There was no need for a stick.

-They came down naturally.

-But a dog has to show who's boss.

-But a dog has to show who's boss.

-

-Yes, they must get into their faces.

-You don't often see dogs

-work like that these days.

-The cows are sensible enough

-to let themselves be driven.

-Once they're used

-to being controlled by dogs...

-..that's how they're handled.

-It's better than someone

-on a bike or in a Land Rover...

-..cajoling them and driving them.

-It's them and the dogs.

-The black dog's a young one,

-a year and a half.

-He takes after his mother.

-He takes after his mother.

-

-The other one is his mother?

-Yes.

-Running dogs

-is one of your big passions.

-Dogs are very close to your heart.

-Dogs are very close to your heart.

-

-Yes.

-You need good working dogs,

-first and foremost.

-You saw that in the forestry.

-When you get good dogs,

-you respect them...

-..then you gain their respect.

-That respect doesn't come easily.

-It has to be earned, and that

-has always been ingrained in Dewi.

-The YFC has also been

-an important part of his life.

-He won the Ceredigion YFC

-best actor award...

-..and played a leading role in the

-half hour of entertainment contest.

-Well, how are you tonight?

-It's me, Dai, here.

-I hope you're all well.

-Yes, it's another Sunday

-with Ar Eich Cais.

-It's got cold, my friends.

-My club, Tal-y-bont, was lucky

-to win nationally this year.

-I owe a big debt to the YFC...

-..for the wide range

-of opportunities I've been given.

-The sheepdog trials,

-the public speaking...

-..the acting and the stock judging.

-It gave me confidence

-to compete and to speak publicly.

-And eisteddfodau.

-That's where I first sang.

-That's where I first sang.

-

-And you won the Blue Riband.

-Yes, the Blue Riband.

-Not that I make a fuss about that.

-Would you like to see it?

-Yes, please!

-I wear it everywhere,

-on Cefn Gwlad and in the bath!

-The way of life at Tynygraig,

-with the cattle, sheep and dogs...

-..has inspired Dewi over the years.

-One thing is certain.

-The future of agriculture is secure

-in the hands of these young farmers.

-It's a thrill

-to be in their company.

-Hooray!

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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