Pennod 2 Ffermio

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-Hello and welcome to Ffermio.

-Here in the valleys of South Wales,

-the coal industry has faded away.

-Mines such as Tower Colliery

-are a shadow of their former selves.

-On the outskirts

-of these former industrial towns...

-..there is a flourishing

-agricultural industry.

-I'll be meeting some of those

-who earn their living...

-..producing

-food and drink in the area.

-I'll be visiting

-the unique market at Penderyn...

-..and meeting a farmer

-who has been a lifelong customer.

-Meinir discovers how water is used

-to create a special drink.

-From Towyn Tudweiliog

-to Gelli Dafolog, Penderyn...

-..Daloni's had quite a journey

-to bring you this story.

-The land is bare

-and the sky is grey...

-..but the welcome at Gelli

-Dafolog farm, Penderyn, is warm.

-This is home to Bryn Williams

-and his family.

-Bryn farms with his son Rhydian.

-Where exactly are we, Bryn?

-We're in Penderyn.

-It's between Merthyr,

-Aberdare and the Vale of Neath.

-Which valley is this?

-This is Cwm Cadlan.

-There is a mixture of land,

-both agricultural and industrial.

-It's partly hilly, partly flat.

-There is some good land here.

-How long have you farmed here?

-How long have you farmed here?

-

-Between 35 and 37 years, I think.

-Are you a farmer's son?

-Are you a farmer's son?

-

-No, I'm not.

-My father was a collier

-from the Vale of Neath.

-I came to work as a farm hand

-at Gelli Dafolog many years ago.

-And you stayed?

-I stayed here, married

-and I've been here most of my life.

-Have you bought the farm?

-Have you bought the farm?

-

-That's right.

-We used to be tenants but we bought

-the farm when we got married...

-..from the Bodwigiad estate.

-Gelli Dafolog

-is over 1,000 feet above sea level.

-Bryn and Rhydian farm 350 acres.

-They have 30 cattle and 900 sheep.

-The sheep are already inside.

-We brought them in early

-because the weather has been so bad.

-It's so wet outside.

-Normally they come in

-at the end of January...

-..but the weather has been terrible.

-They are big sheep. Mountain sheep.

-They're not that big

-but they're alright.

-They are Improved Welsh.

-Type?

-Type?

-

-Talybont type.

-What is your pattern with the sheep?

-The sheep in these pens

-are old sheep.

-They'll be put to a Texel ram.

-When they've lambed,

-we'll sell them as couples...

-..sometime in the spring,

-probably in May.

-When will they start to lamb?

-When will they start to lamb?

-

-They'll start around 10 March.

-That's early for you.

-It's too early.

-Only a few will lamb early.

-The rest will lamb in April.

-We lamb them all through the shed.

-Once they've given birth,

-we bring new sheep in.

-Is that something new for you?

-We used to lamb them all outside,

-before we had the shed.

-Was it cold?

-Was it cold?

-

-Yes!

-We managed,

-but it is much easier in the shed.

-How difficult was it at first?

-This type of sheep

-is used to being outside, grazing.

-They like being outside.

-They don't like it indoors.

-Was the first year a struggle?

-Was the first year a struggle?

-

-Yes. They weren't happy at first.

-They're used to it now.

-When you keep them inside,

-they lose their hardiness.

-But it works?

-But it works?

-

-It works.

-They don't live inside,

-it's just during lambing.

-We have a pen full of rams here.

-These are one-year-old rams.

-You use the word 'myneryn'.

-In Llanrwst, we call them 'meheryn'.

-In the south, they say 'hyrddod'.

-They're 'myneryn' in Penderyn!

-And here they are, Penderyn rams.

-What are you doing with these?

-We raise them

-until they are a year old.

-We sell them

-in Talybont and Penderyn.

-There's a lot to do here.

-There's a lot to do here.

-

-Yes, there is.

-There's not much time to sit down.

-As well as working on the home farm,

-Rhydian works as a contractor.

-Fencing in the winter

-and shearing in the summer.

-It's very busy here.

-There's a lot of feeding to do!

-Sorry!

-Roll and pull.

-Roll and pull.

-Are the cattle all in here?

-They're not all in this shed,

-but they are all inside.

-Is this the usual process?

-Yes, I give the cattle some hay

-as well as silage.

-How many cows to you have?

-We've got 30 sucklers.

-All cross-breeds?

-All cross-breeds?

-

-Yes, they're all cross-breeds.

-Limousins and Belgian Blues.

-Are they raised here

-or do you buy them?

-Sometimes we buy them

-and sometimes we raise them.

-We sell the best ones on.

-Where do you sell them?

-We sell the calves in Sennybridge,

-Brecon, at the start of October.

-We sell them when

-they're seven to nine months old.

-We keep the ones born in late summer

-until December or January.

-That clears up space for the cows

-to begin calving again.

-On the outskirts of Penderyn

-are 7,000 acres of common land.

-When Bryn bought Gelli Dafolog, he

-was granted the right to graze here.

-It's a very different world up here.

-The weather shows no mercy.

-We turn the sheep out in the spring

-after the lambing season.

-They live here throughout summer.

-They come down in August.

-We remove the lambs.

-Then, before we turn

-the sheep back...

-..in late October, early November,

-we introduce them to the ram...

-..and keep them in for two or three

-weeks before turning them back out.

-How difficult is it to farm here?

-How difficult is it to farm here?

-

-It's difficult.

-But the stock are used

-to living in a place like this.

-It's a way of life.

-Will it always be like this?

-Yes, it will.

-We have to carry on as we

-always have done over the years.

-Sheep have always been here and

-people made a living out of them.

-But it gets harder and harder

-each year to make a living from it.

-Rhydian, would you ever leave

-the South Wales Valleys?

-No.

-I like the mountains and living in

-the same place as the sheep graze.

-I'll be here for a while yet.

-Your heart belongs here.

-Your heart belongs here.

-

-Yes, my heart is here.

-Would you move away, Bryn?

-Would you move away, Bryn?

-

-Never. I'll be here till the end.

-Do you farm ponies as well, Bryn?

-Do you farm ponies as well, Bryn?

-

-Yes, we do.

-We have wild or feral ponies

-here at the moment.

-The thing is with them,

-I like keeping them...

-..but it doesn't make

-financial sense.

-You can't sell them.

-There's no money in them.

-But as long as I live,

-we'll have ponies here.

-Farming can be thirsty work.

-Instead of putting the kettle on...

-..one local family

-has established a brewery...

-..using one of the hills'

-natural resources.

-There's plenty of that around

-at the moment.

-What can you produce by combining

-water from a nearby brook...

-..with barley?

-The Jones family from Treorchy...

-..have secured a second income

-for their farm by brewing beer.

-Cheers!

-The beer has been produced here at

-Fforch Farm, Rhondda Cynon Taf...

-..since last April.

-It truly is a family venture.

-Although father, Lynne, planted

-the first seed back in 2014...

-..the family works together well.

-His two daughters, Grug and Caryl,

-and his son, Arwel...

-..are also part of the business.

-We lost some of our land, when farms

-we were renting were sold off.

-We were looking for a new venture.

-I went to the pub one week and spoke

-to a man with his own business.

-We arranged to meet up to see

-if we could come up with something.

-He came up with the idea

-of brewing beer here.

-When I came home, the children

-were rather fond of the idea.

-We went on from there then.

-I'm sure you enjoyed researching it,

-getting to taste beer.

-Well, somebody has to be

-chief taster!

-I've got a better palate

-than the rest because I'm older.

-How much inspiration did

-the local area have on the produce?

-It's a coalmining area.

-Everybody knows

-that the coal mines existed here.

-We tried to find something

-that suited the local area.

-That's how it started, anyway.

-We named the beer

-after the coal mines...

-..and after things

-which were in the coal mines.

-There's Tommy Box,

-which was the colliers' lunchbox.

-Then there's the Pithead Baths

-and things like that.

-We try to do things which suit us.

-After your dad

-had the original idea, Grug...

-..he handed over the reins to you.

-There were only about six months

-between having the idea...

-..to starting up the business.

-Dad came home on the Friday...

-..and within a week,

-we had a business plan.

-We were up late researching

-the feasibility of everything.

-We had to make sure

-there was a market.

-Craft brewers

-are very on trend at the moment.

-A lot of people like home brews

-and local produce.

-It's become a lot more popular.

-The beer is bottled

-and branded here at home.

-Caryl is responsible

-for the paperwork...

-..and whatever else needs doing.

-The family has received a lot

-of help to establish the business...

-..from both Cywain

-and the Welsh Government.

-One thing that's extremely important

-to the business is branding.

-It's really important

-to get the labels right.

-People look at the label first

-before they try the beer itself.

-They look at the names

-on the bottles.

-But it's not just the names.

-They look at the colours

-and pictures we put on them too.

-So it's important.

-The pictures we put on the labels

-are of our own cattle.

-It's something unique to us

-as a family.

-Is it difficult to keep discovering

-different flavours?

-Yes.

-It's difficult for us

-because we are still learning.

-We have to conduct

-a lot of research...

-..to find out what kinds of hops

-make different flavours.

-I know a lot of people

-use things like fruit and flowers.

-We've got a lot more learning to do.

-I hope we'll be a lot bigger

-in the future.

-Agriculture is still central

-to the 500-acre farm.

-Lynne and Arwel are responsible

-for the everyday tasks.

-They keep around 500

-Welsh mountain sheep...

-..as well as a herd

-of 30 Highland cattle.

-As well as all this,

-Arwel is the head brewer.

-We try to brew twice a week.

-On one of the other days,

-we deliver the beer.

-Some of us

-have got to bottle the beer.

-The cattle are interesting -

-Highland cattle.

-Yes, you have to keep livestock

-capable of living on the mountain.

-It's not worth us keeping Friesians,

-they'd never survive up there.

-We have to have suitable livestock.

-There's not a lot of money in them.

-But they look good

-and are cheap to keep.

-You feed them waste

-from the brewery.

-Yes, we feed everything

-that's left over from the brewery...

-..to the cattle and calves.

-It suits us well.

-It's somewhere to get rid of it,

-without carrying it far.

-I'm sure it gives a unique taste

-to the meat.

-Yes, there's a great taste

-to the meat.

-There are also quite a few

-wind turbines on the land.

-Eight wind turbines. There's more

-profit in those than anything else.

-I couldn't live without them.

-Not with how things are

-with sheep and cattle.

-That job has become useless now.

-Do you enjoy the work?

-Do you enjoy the work?

-

-Yes.

-It's warmer there than out here!

-By the radiator.

-What's the secret

-to making good beer?

-It's got a lot to do

-with the spring water.

-That makes the biggest difference

-to the taste.

-The water drains through the peat.

-I think that's what makes it

-taste different.

-Cwm Rhondda Ales has had

-a good start to the business.

-The family is proud of their roots

-here in the South Wales Valleys.

-But how do they hope to develop

-in the future?

-I'd like to see the children

-get a tidy living from it.

-They make a small living

-at the moment.

-There's not enough for everyone.

-I'd like to see it grow...

-..into being able to give work

-to some of the local people.

-There'll be no stopping us.

-I hope there'll be no stopping us.

-That's all for now.

-After the break...

-..I'll be watching the sheep

-being sold at Penderyn Market.

-Don't go far.

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-Welcome back.

-When most of us hear the word

-"Penderyn"...

-..we think of Dic Penderyn,

-the author Nansi Selwood...

-..or the famous whisky.

-But there's a successful mart too

-promoting the Nelson breed of sheep.

-Penderyn lies at the foot of

-the Brecon Beacons, near Hirwaun.

-Today, almost 500 sheep and lambs

-are going under the hammer.

-One who's been faithful

-to this market is Dilwyn John.

-His 13-year-old granddaughter, Elin,

-shares his passion.

-Last year, she made a calendar...

-..recording a year

-in the life of the mart.

-Here it is.

-I always have my camera with me...

-..because if I think, "That's

-a good shot," I take a photo.

-What photos have you taken today?

-I've taken photographs

-of the older generation.

-I enjoy seeing them here.

-I hope they'll be here

-for years to come.

-Do you have a favourite photo?

-My favourite one

-is the cover photo...

-..because the mart

-was full on that day.

-There were around 5,000 sheep

-here on that day.

-There were people here

-from everywhere.

-The calendar was very popular

-last year.

-It raised thousands

-for a cancer charity.

-Going by its popularity,

-another one will be needed for 2017.

-We started this charity in 1999.

-Over the years,

-the farmers have got involved.

-It's started from there.

-This year's calendar...

-..Elin's grandmother died of cancer

-three or four years ago...

-..and she was treated

-at the hospital.

-We've always raised money

-towards cancer things.

-She had the idea of the calendar

-which has raised a lot of money.

-We auctioned one here

-which we got 100 for.

-Elin's grandfather Dilwyn John

-has a big influence on her.

-He farms in Tan y Graig

-on the banks of the River Taff.

-He has 600 Nelson sheep on 200 acres

-and some hilly common land.

-I've bred rams for over 50 years.

-My father bred some

-when I was at home.

-We came here in '68.

-My father gave me 100 ewes...

-..and that's how I started.

-I have 600 ewes here now.

-I think we'll have to cut back.

-Time's catching up!

-Yes, catching up with me.

-But you still go up the mountain.

-We make a lot of use

-of the mountain.

-It suits the system.

-We keep mountain sheep...

-..and they stay on the mountain

-for most of the year.

-Even with your Welsh native breed,

-have you noticed...

-..that they're not as hardy

-as they used to be?

-That's the trouble.

-Years ago, they wanted larger lambs.

-The sheep

-were meant to be a bigger size.

-But I haven't gone down that road.

-The sheep I have are big enough.

-My best lambs reach about 40 kilos.

-You won't get better sheep

-to look after their lambs.

-If you buy the lambs,

-it'll follow you around the farm.

-Over the years, Dilwyn has

-been keen to keep Nelson rams.

-Last October, he received 7,000

-guineas for a ram at Penderyn mart.

-He also received an average of

-1,800 guineas for 18 yearling rams.

-Let's see if you beat 7,200 guineas

-for a ram this year.

-I've received the best price

-three times in Penderyn.

-It's happened the other way

-but that doesn't worry me now!

-What is the auction like when

-it's in full swing in September?

-More attend it every year.

-Over the last three years, I've

-noticed more people coming back.

-It's put Penderyn on the map,

-hasn't it?

-Yes, it has.

-When we go to North Wales, I just

-have to say I'm from Penderyn...

-..and everyone knows where I'm from!

-The breed has a fairly

-strong presence in the area...

-..despite all the modernization

-in agriculture.

-They're coming back.

-A lot are looking for sheep that are

-cheaper to keep, lamb easily...

-..with less work and fewer costs.

-That's what has to be done now.

-Wise words.

-On modern sheep, I heard a man say,

-"The blighters are bloody dying...

-"..if the forecast gets bad!"

-Dilwyn has been farming

-in Tan y Graig since 1968.

-How has the area changed

-over the decades?

-When I was at home with Dad...

-..a lot of the boys who were

-underground helped with the hay.

-When we were shearing,

-they'd hold the sheep.

-They'd have some potatoes

-and some bacon.

-They were quite happy.

-They've all gone now.

-Yes.

-Let's talk about Elin for a moment.

-It's obvious that you have

-a close relationship with her.

-It's what keeps me going.

-Back in the mart, the sheep

-have gone through the auction ring.

-What are the views on the prices?

-What are the views on the prices?

-

-On the whole, they sold well.

-It's picked up after Christmas.

-It usually goes down in the new year

-but it's going the other way now.

-How important is this mart to you?

-How important is this mart to you?

-

-It's nearby.

-Buyers come here from everywhere.

-There aren't many here today...

-..but at other sales, it's packed.

-You'll be looking forward

-to the summer when it starts again.

-Before we go,

-starting today, 18 January...

-..there's a new electronic system in

-Wales for recording sheep movement.

-It's called EIDCymru...

-..and is for livestock markets,

-abattoirs and collection centres.

-It isn't yet compulsory

-for farmers...

-..but we are encouraged

-to record electronically too.

-The government

-and Meat Promotion Wales...

-..argue it tracks sheep movements

-in a practical and effective way.

-For more information,

-contact EIDCymru by phone or email.

-That's it from Penderyn

-and the Valleys.

-Despite all the changes that have

-happened here over the decades...

-..it's nice to say that the word

-'native' is still relevant.

-The local breed of sheep is going

-from strength to strength...

-..and Welsh is spoken by the locals.

-For now, from me and the rest

-of the crew, thank you for watching.

-Goodbye.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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