Mon, 22 Jan 2018 Ffermio

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-The highest number of sheep

-since the turn of the century.

-Has it affected the market?

-There may be too much.

-Where will the lambs go?

-Would you like to save thousands

-on feeding costs?

-We hear from one farmer

-who's succeeded in doing so.

-Many people can do it,

-they just haven't thought about it.

-A problem that many families face -

-succession.

-It's a sad situation. We discuss it

-as a family every now and then.

-We haven't found the answer yet.

-At the last count, there were

-10 million sheep in Wales.

-It's the highest number

-for 15 years.

-Is this good news for the sector?

-It's a busy day in Ruthin Mart.

-Farmers are eager to get

-the best prices for their stock.

-Numbers fell during the time

-we had the Foot and Mouth disease.

-After that, numbers increased again.

-Do all these sheep make a difference

-in the marketplace?

-Any rise in numbers increases demand

-for different markets.

-We must remember that we

-import lambs from New Zealand.

-The numbers of sheep in New Zealand

-had dropped dramatically.

-They were down a million and a half

-last year.

-There's a market here, there's

-a place for them in the market...

-..but yes, the numbers

-make a difference to the prices.

-With a higher number, more sales

-are needed which affects the price.

-Meat Promotion Wales

-keeps an eye on the industry.

-They're also responsible

-for marketing the lamb.

-How have they responded

-to the recent rise in numbers?

-Numbers have reached 10 million.

-The market has been relatively

-buoyant in recent times...

-..and sales of lamb

-have been quite high...

-..especially on the continent.

-Export sales

-have been very strong too.

-At the same time...

-..we've seen a drop in the number

-of suckler cows in Wales.

-That's also an important factor.

-If farmers don't keep cattle,

-they keep more sheep.

-That's why we have so many of them.

-Back in the mart,

-we catch up with Rhys Hughes...

-..a Llangollen farmer.

-There may well be too many,

-there may well be too many.

-Where will all the lambs go?

-There's a market for the best lambs

-but not for those under 30kgs.

-There's no market

-for them this year.

-There was no market

-for them last year.

-It is a big worry.

-Meat Promotion Wales tell us we have

-to change our system of farming...

-..and breed heavier lambs

-but it's not easy on the hills.

-Is having 10 million sheep in Wales

-affecting your business?

-Yes, there are too many sheep.

-The market for small lambs...

-..has been troublesome

-over the past three years.

-There was a strong market in

-Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.

-Those markets have changed

-for different reasons.

-Economies in those countries aren't

-as strong as they were 10 years ago.

-Business is being done but

-that business is often undermined...

-..by produce coming in

-from Bulgaria and Romania.

-The market has changed.

-We'll have to adapt the way

-we supply those markets.

-Despite an increase in sheep numbers

-with more being exported...

-..last year, lamb sales fell by 10%

-in Great Britain last year.

-Are we overproducing?

-I wouldn't say so.

-There are more in the market but

-you have to change with the times...

-..and unfortunately,

-if prices fall...

-..the only way to increase income

-is to produce more.

-That's natural in life.

-I wouldn't call it overproducing.

-Farmers are just producing animals

-that don't fit market demand.

-What we produce is still the same...

-..and what the customer consumes

-in Great Britain is also the same...

-..but a greater proportion of

-what we produce has been exported.

-Exports have increased

-due to the weakness of the pound...

-..compared to two years ago.

-That's why the price of lamb eaten

-and bought in shops in Britain...

-..has fallen a little.

-When you produce something,

-you expect a fair price for it.

-You don't want to be offered

-1/kilo for lambs in a mart.

-That's what happened today, locally.

-1/kilo.

-The price has bottomed out now.

-Is there a future in Wales for

-the small lamb? Is there a future?

-If there's no future, where do I go?

-Many farmers feel the same.

-From the mart in Ruthin

-to Llanefydd.

-Alun's met a farmer

-trialling a new system on his farm.

-At this time of year, we start

-to regret our New Year resolutions.

-Most people want to save money

-and lose weight.

-I have no problems losing weight,

-but today I'm visiting a farm...

-..that's cut 6,000

-from its cattle winterising bill.

-Arthur and Menna Williams

-farm Carwed Fynydd...

-..a 400-acre farm consisting

-of 120 cattle and 900 Lleyn sheep.

-Last year, they looked at ways

-of reducing costs.

-After feeding kale since 2010...

-..Arthur now grows fodder beet...

-..in the hope

-of keeping cattle out longer.

-When you turned the cattle

-to that crop for the first time...

-..how did you control

-how much they ate?

-There must have been a lot

-of calculations.

-You can't just turn them

-to fodder beet.

-There's a lot of work to do.

-We initially put the breeding

-heifers on the fodder beet.

-We put them in

-and lifted the fodder beet by hand.

-We fed them

-and increased the amount every day.

-We would increase the amount

-until they were eating it properly.

-We made sure they didn't eat

-too much leading to acidosis.

-With the kale, you could turn

-the cattle to kale right away.

-That's a big advantage

-with the kale.

-Seven and a half acres of the farm

-was sown with Robbos fodder beet...

-..to see if it was more productive

-than kale.

-We have 23 breeding heifers on it.

-It will sustain them for 120 days.

-They've been on it

-since the beginning of December.

-There's room for 500 lamb ewes

-for 70 days.

-As well as reducing feeding costs

-for cattle...

-..you're cutting sheep costs too.

-What happened to the sheep

-before this?

-We've been sending 600 lamb ewes

-to Chester on tack.

-We still send some, just in case

-the fodder beet didn't work.

-We'll be sending less next time

-and growing more fodder beet.

-Today, Farming Connect

-have organised an open day...

-..to show the results

-of the experiment.

-Emyr Owen has been crucial

-during this process.

-He's the Red Meat Technical Officer

-for North Wales.

-I was hoping to see half the land

-used to grow fodder beet.

-Because it produces so much

-per hectare...

-..it would ultimately

-prove cheaper than kale...

-..because kale requires more land.

-Fortunately,

-that's exactly what's happened.

-It's not for everyone but a lot of

-people have the ability to do it.

-They just haven't thought about it.

-Can it become a problem

-when there's challenging weather...

-..or the ground is being compacted

-because there's so much trampling?

-You should just take it as it comes.

-Just be as proactive as you can be

-when you're managing stock.

-The cattle do much

-of the maintenance work for you...

-..you're not burning diesel and it's

-a great system if you can do it.

-One of the guest speakers,

-Charlie Morgan...

-..is an expert at growing crops.

-A good turnout, Charlie, an audience

-keen to learn something different.

-People are realising now

-that things have to change.

-No-one knows

-what the future holds...

-..but they know that if they do the

-same thing, they'll go backwards.

-They have to ask

-how are they going to change...

-..what's the answer for them

-in the future...

-..and how much

-they are willing to spend.

-Hay is 120-130 per tonne.

-If you want to build a shed,

-that incurs a great cost.

-If you're looking

-for flexibility within a system...

-..when you grow a crop like this,

-you can change things.

-Some people are talking about

-keeping more cattle and less sheep.

-Is that fair or not?

-You have the flexibility here

-without having to spend too much.

-It's been an eye-opener to see how

-one business has helped cut costs.

-What did farmers think

-about the day?

-The yield is good but I'm worried

-about spraying on the slopes.

-There are places you can drill

-but you can't go there to spray.

-You need to spray it three times.

-Paul, looking at the set-up here, is

-it suitable for your land at home?

-Very unlikely, with three times

-the amount of rain they have here.

-I don't think so,

-my land is much heavier.

-It does make you think

-about what you can grow.

-That's why I asked the question.

-If neither fodder beet and kale

-are options, swedes are an option.

-It's made you think differently.

-I've grown the odd year of kale

-over the past few years.

-I'm very interested in fodder beet.

-From what I've understood today...

-..it does require more work.

-There are more costs, spraying work

-and more feeding work.

-It has its uses and it's worth a lot

-to cattle as feed.

-It's early days on the fodder beet.

-You'll still want to calve cattle

-on this system.

-That's the future.

-That's cost effective.

-This is pioneering.

-After all, if you can save 6,000

-of costs in one year...

-..it's a substantial saving.

-Yes, it is.

-You save money

-by not sending sheep out on tack.

-If there's any chance to save money,

-you should try something new.

-It's nice to see farmers adapting

-their businesses for the future.

-Next, the latest about bird flu.

-Following the announcement

-that bird flu had been detected...

-..in two locations in England...

-..Defra has extended the bird flu

-prevention zone across England.

-The risk level for poultry

-was raised to medium...

-..and for wild birds to high.

-Cabinet Secretary for Energy,

-Planning and Rural Affairs...

-..Lesley Griffiths, has decided

-that there is no reason...

-..to declare statutory controls

-in Wales at the moment.

-The situation

-will be closely monitored.

-Poultry keepers

-should remain vigilant....

-..and adhere to the strict

-biosecurity regulations.

-That's all for Part 1.

-Join me later for a subject that

-can cause concern for families.

-See you soon.

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-We're not getting any younger.

-The question of succession,

-who will be here to farm after us...

-..is a question worrying

-more than one family farm.

-The same worry exists

-at Trefaes Fawr, Newcastle Emlyn.

-Here, Huw and Carys

-have farmed for 40 years.

-They have four daughters.

-As part of her journalism course

-in Cardiff University...

-..youngest daughter Elen

-reported on this subject.

-I had to write an article

-as part of the coursework.

-They said "write what you know".

-It would be easy for me

-to get information from Dad...

-..and it would be easy for me

-to add my own input.

-A lot of people

-are thinking about the future.

-In terms of writing the article,

-have you had any added pressure...

-..about the future of the farm -

-does it worry you?

-It does worry me but it's difficult

-for me to come up with an answer.

-I've chosen to study

-Welsh and Journalism in Cardiff.

-It makes me wonder whether

-I could come back to the farm.

-I don't think it's something

-you can easily do on your own.

-I couldn't come home

-to start farming on my own.

-It's a large farm.

-It's a lot of work.

-Tell us your story.

-How did you get into farming?

-Well, I was an only child.

-Dad and Mam were farmers.

-That's it,

-I didn't think anymore about it.

-I walked into it quite easily.

-I enjoyed farming anyway.

-I would join Dad all the time.

-I was following him everywhere

-from a young age.

-From then on, that's all I knew.

-I stayed very close to home.

-My parents farmed and they wanted me

-to do something beyond farming.

-They hoped I'd come back to farming

-after other experiences.

-I had the chance to work

-in a bank...

-..so I took it to get experience

-of the other side of life.

-A farm was coming up from Tad-cu,

-Wern Gadno.

-I was working on that farm

-for some of the year.

-I kept 100 sheep on rented land so I

-had that when I came home from work.

-I then made the decision

-to come home to farm.

-I met Carys at the same time

-and I've been farming ever since.

-Those are the experiences of Huw

-and Carys but what of the future?

-We do worry that no-one

-will succeed us on the farm.

-We must think

-about taking things more gently.

-We won't be able to keep going

-during the lambing season.

-We lamb 1,500 - we can't continue

-doing it as we get older.

-What's the answer if you want

-to attract new blood to farming?

-We're getting the same price for our

-produce but our costs have doubled.

-That makes it difficult for people

-who want to become farmers.

-It's a large cost initially...

-..and you have no guarantee

-for the price of your produce.

-It doesn't give anyone

-any confidence in farming.

-Three of Carys and Huw's daughters

-have chosen other career paths.

-Nerys is a doctor,

-Gwawr's a nurse...

-..and Sara works

-for Ceredigion Council.

-I decided when I was choosing

-A Level subjects...

-..that I wanted to become a doctor.

-That was a turning point.

-I knew I faced many years

-in college.

-I don't think anyone studies

-for five years, sits the exams...

-..and then turns their back on it

-and returns to farming.

-After qualifying,

-I decided I wanted to become a GP.

-That's what I'm doing now

-in Pontyclun, Llantrisant.

-I have no intention of farming

-ever again, to be honest.

-I never knew what I wanted to do

-when I was in school.

-I chose my subjects

-and Mam and Dad...

-..encouraged us

-to do well in school...

-..and to study in university.

-I did a nursing degree.

-I'm now a community nurse

-in Cardigan.

-The experience of being raised

-on a farm, it was brilliant.

-I enjoyed every minute.

-I enjoyed the motorbike,

-I enjoyed going around the fields.

-When you're in your teens,

-the situation changes.

-We grew up

-and learnt how to cook supper.

-My memory of the lambing season...

-..is Mam and Dad in the shed

-every hour of the day and night.

-They'd come in for supper

-I'd cooked at 8.00pm.

-Supper in the oven.

-They'd come in at 10.00pm.

-We'd usually eat supper together but

-that never happened during lambing.

-They were out all the time.

-I've never said

-I wouldn't come back...

-..but I go to work, 9 to 5.

-When I leave work, I leave work

-behind and start again the next day.

-Mam and Dad are in work

-all the time.

-It's 24 hours a day,

-seven days a week.

-Like I said, it's a way of life.

-I think life is easier for my

-sisters who have a settled life...

-..when you compare it

-to Mam and Dad.

-Nerys is a doctor,

-she earns a wage...

-..she knows how much she earns

-every month.

-She's on maternity at the moment.

-Had she been a farmer, the baby

-would be out with her all the time.

-She wouldn't receive

-any maternity pay.

-She would have to keep going

-on the farm.

-Only by working

-would she earn money.

-Looking to the future, would you

-want to see your daughters...

-..coming back to the farm

-and leaving their way of life?

-It would be nice, yes.

-That's what gives you pleasure.

-It would be nice to see them back

-but I can't see it happening...

-..the way farming is going

-right now.

-We're not making big profits.

-They work 9 to 5, they know

-where they stand every week.

-They enjoy coming home,

-they enjoy working on the farm.

-It's another thing to work here

-every day of the week.

-It's a sad situation. I don't think

-we've found the answer yet.

-We discuss it as a family

-every now and then.

-We haven't found the answer yet.

-I feel guilty that none of us

-will return to farming.

-These are family farms.

-These farms have sentimental value.

-They've been passed down

-through the generations.

-They're also homes for us.

-It's sad to think that the farm

-won't stay in our family...

-..for generations to come.

-It's a concern shared by families

-across Wales.

-If you're wondering what to do

-with your farm in the future...

-..get in touch with us

-so we can hear your story.

-That's all for this week.

-Join us again next Monday night.

-Thanks for joining us. Goodnight.

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