Pennod 3 Ffermio

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-Hello and welcome to Ffermio...

-..from the Monmouthshire livestock

-market just outside Raglan.

-Today is St Dwynwen's Day in Wales.

-Later in the programme,

-Daloni visits one farmer's wife...

-..who is facing one

-of the busiest times of the year...

-..as she prepares

-for Wales's lovers.

-Also on today's programme...

-..I'll visit an unusual dairy farm

-near Llandovery.

-They receive 60p per litre

-for their milk.

-Firstly, in markets across the

-country, there have been changes...

-..in how goat and sheep movements

-are tracked...

-..with the arrival

-of the EID Cymru system.

-Alun has been finding out more

-about the new scheme.

-Since 18 January...

-..if you manage a livestock market,

-abattoir or collection centre...

-..there's a new system for

-registering the movement of sheep.

-It's electronic

-and it's called EID Cymru.

-At the moment,

-it isn't mandatory for farmers.

-We should show some interest

-in the process...

-..to see if there are benefits

-to be had for our own businesses.

-The work is centred here

-in Aberystwyth.

-The movements of all sheep in Wales

-are held on one database.

-The head of EID Cymru

-is Rhian Jones.

-We are a few days in and are happy

-with where we stand at the moment.

-We've received many phone calls...

-..enquiring about registering

-with EID Cymru.

-The first thing farmers must do

-to record electronically...

-..is to register on our website.

-They need to choose a username

-and password.

-We will send them an email

-within 72 hours.

-They can then log on to the website.

-Farmers who don't want

-to do it electronically...

-..can still do so on paper.

-There is a new form which is more

-or less the same as the old one.

-The one important change...

-..is that it's EID Cymru's

-office address at the bottom.

-The forms should be sent back to us

-and not to the local authorities.

-Some farmers say that every tag

-isn't always read at the mart.

-What proportion of the tags

-are read correctly?

-From the data we received before

-Christmas when testing the system...

-..the read rates for lamb tags...

-..was between 95% and 100%.

-Technology has advanced

-over the last ten years.

-We have a lot more faith

-in the system now.

-We are very happy

-with where we are at the moment.

-We look forward to working with the

-industry using EID Cymru's systems.

-Although it's not compulsory

-for farmers...

-..some have been testing

-the new system.

-One of those is Dafydd Jones...

-..of Maesllwyni Farm,

-Penegoes, near Machynlleth.

-I've been involved

-for about three years.

-A committee was formed

-to develop the system.

-Recently, we have been meeting

-every two months.

-They develop the system and then

-show it to farmers like myself.

-We could then give our opinion

-and also suggest any improvements.

-Sitting in an office

-designing a system is one thing.

-When a farmer

-takes lambs to the mart...

-..they might only have five minutes

-to fill in a form.

-You have to consider the

-practicalities of all the paperwork.

-From what you've seen

-and now that it's been launched...

-..are you satisfied?

-I'm happy with the system.

-It's very simple,

-without too much jargon.

-It only has what's needed.

-The advantage of using a computer...

-..is that you don't fill

-a lot of boxes as with paperwork.

-As I have told people...

-..a lot of boxes contain information

-you've previously filled in.

-Doing it online actually

-cuts the amount of work required.

-All you have to do online

-is to click 'send'.

-There isn't a letter

-waiting for weeks to be posted.

-In the modern age that we live in...

-..as farmers...

-..we should be looking

-for advantages in computer systems.

-At the start, these changes

-seem to be a lot of hassle.

-In time, these changes

-over the past 20 years...

-..will assist us

-in controlling our stock.

-It will make the work easier...

-..even if it doesn't feel that way

-at the beginning.

-In time,

-technology can be our friend.

-Back here in the mart,

-the system is now in operation.

-Making sure it's all running

-smoothly is John Richards.

-He's the leader

-of the technical team at EID Cymru.

-How much work

-was introducing this system...

-..to the marts, abattoirs

-and collection centres?

-It's been a lot of work

-over the last few months.

-The rules mean the markets,

-abattoirs and collection centres...

-..all have to report electronically

-to us at EID Cymru.

-We've been going out to them all

-explaining how the system works.

-We've then been there as support.

-That will continue

-for months and years to come...

-..for all these sites

-that do report electronically.

-We want the system

-to work well for everyone...

-..to ensure

-it's a boon for the industry.

-We're up and running.

-How's it going?

-It's been quite smooth considering

-it's a brand-new system for Wales.

-There were

-some slight teething problems...

-..but we're confident

-we've smoothed those out...

-..and the system is working properly

-for everyone who needs to use it.

-How dependable is this system?

-It's a system

-that's been tested very thoroughly.

-We're confident

-that it's running smoothly...

-..and available

-to anybody who needs it from now on.

-Why did we need this system?

-This is a tracking system.

-It takes us all the way back

-to the last foot and mouth outbreak.

-The regulations were changed then.

-EID Cymru has stepped up to help the

-industry with this tracking service.

-With time, I hope

-it's a system we all start using.

-We ask anyone to contact us...

-..if they can think

-of any improvements.

-We'll look at any idea...

-..and if it helps the industry,

-we'll help to instigate it.

-How many of you have received

-or sent a bouquet of flowers today?

-It's St Dwynwen's Day.

-Daloni has been discovering...

-..what lovers send each other

-in Llanrwst on this special day.

-Farchwel Farm in the Conwy Valley...

-..is the home

-of Rhiannon Roberts and her family.

-It's a busy farm with plenty of work

-to be done inside and outside.

-After completing her tasks

-on the farm every morning...

-..Rhiannon heads for Llanrwst

-to turn her attention to flowers.

-She has a natural artistic talent.

-Before she opened her shop,

-Rhiannon went on several courses...

-..to see how to prepare

-all the different flowers properly.

-It's three years

-since I bought the shop.

-I wanted a new challenge.

-There happened to be

-a shop for sale in Llanrwst.

-I had always been quite creative

-and liked to potter about.

-I decided to go for it.

-How did you prepare

-for running a business?

-I started with a course

-to learn more about flowers.

-I also went on a course

-to learn how to run a business.

-The course was in Wilmslow.

-It was quite an eye-opener

-in terms of running a business.

-I also learned all about the care

-and preparation of cut flowers.

-That was a lot of work

-and I'm still learning.

-What's your weekly regime?

-We order most of our flowers

-on the Internet...

-..before 11.00am in the morning.

-The flowers arrive

-before we open the following day.

-That's incredible.

-Every Wednesday, I take the lorry

-and meet with a Dutch dealer.

-He comes over

-and I buy the ones I want from him.

-They arrange flower bouquets

-for all kinds of different events.

-The flowers

-are delivered all over the country.

-Today, all the attention

-is trained on St Dwynwen's Day.

-It's Welsh lovers' day today.

-It's Welsh lovers' day today.

-

-Yes, it is.

-The orders are flooding in.

-The orders are flooding in.

-

-It's quite busy.

-What do people want?

-Red roses mainly, but I was hoping

-you'd help with an arrangement.

-I've never done it before.

-There's a first time for everything.

-We've prepared this in advance.

-We have a red pot

-for this occasion...

-..and some greenery.

-Get a hold of the iris.

-We're going to do this

-using pink, red and purple colours.

-Cut them at an angle.

-Like so.

-Ahead of the one sticking up

-we push this one in.

-Like that.

-Make it a bit shorter.

-Shorter still?

-Shorter still?

-

-No, that's fine.

-Now, we add the red roses.

-We cut off the bottoms

-and remove most of the leaves.

-We also remove the outer petals.

-Those have been exposed

-to the weather in the garden.

-You cut at an angle again.

-We go to around this height.

-Cut it at an angle

-and then place it in.

-Why are we cutting at an angle?

-It gives a bigger surface area.

-Cutting straight across

-gives you a small round surface...

-..whereas an angled cut

-gives you a bigger surface.

-That means more water is drawn up.

-How do we finish it off?

-How do we finish it off?

-

-We have some ready-made hearts.

-Here's one for you.

-It's made from steel grass.

-That gives us the feeling of love.

-You made these?

-You made these?

-

-Yes.

-Where do we put them?

-That goes in the oasis too.

-People can see

-that it's for St Dwynwen's Day.

-Hey!

-Three years have passed since

-Rhiannon opened her flower shop.

-She loves her time

-among the chrysanths and carnations.

-She likes flowers,

-but clearly, she also likes people.

-How do you combine

-a florist business with farming?

-I have to admit it isn't easy.

-It's a lot of work.

-I do extra work

-in the evenings and at weekends.

-It's OK because I really love it.

-In the shop, I'm always

-trying to please the customers.

-They are the important ones.

-That's it for part one.

-Join us after the break...

-..when I meet some of the

-worst-behaved animals on the planet.

-Don't miss that.

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-Welcome back.

-The crisis continues

-in the milk industry.

-A family from Cynghordy,

-Carmarthenshire...

-..have decided to trade in their

-herd of Friesian cattle for goats.

-This week, I paid them a visit

-to see how the venture is going.

-Meirion and Sharon Evans' farm lies

-at the foot of Cynghordy Viaduct...

-..on the Carmarthenshire-Brecknock

-border.

-Over the years they have dabbled

-with various ventures...

-..from four wheels to four legs.

-The family originally farmed

-Friesian cattle.

-They now have 850 goats

-passing through the milking parlour.

-Here's a feast for the eyes -

-a shed full of goats.

-What made you decide on goats?

-We've tried a bit of everything.

-I was a mechanic for years.

-My father made a good living

-from milking 20 dairy cattle.

-He bought the farm in 1958.

-By the time I finished

-my apprenticeship as a mechanic...

-..we had to change

-the milking parlour.

-At the time, 25 years ago,

-milk was 27p per litre.

-Back then.

-More than now?

-More than now?

-

-Yes.

-We had to keep more cattle

-but the farm couldn't handle more.

-With all the slurry,

-it just wasn't going to work.

-He sold the quota

-and I bought some heifers to breed.

-I bought the heifers from

-Carmarthen and Sennybridge...

-..and paired them with a bull.

-Ten months later,

-when I went back to Sennybridge...

-..they were worth less

-than I paid for them.

-I had to come up

-with something else.

-I had a year out then.

-I was back and forth

-working on farms around Hereford.

-I saw some goats being milked

-on a farm in Monmouth.

-I thought to myself there's a chance

-I could do something similar.

-Has it been difficult to adapt?

-Have you ever kept goats before?

-No, not one. I've never had anything

-to do with them.

-How many did you buy in Hereford?

-Over 750.

-750 goats arrived at Glandwr.

-Four o'clock one afternoon.

-We had set up a little parlour

-to milk a dozen at a time.

-It took nine hours to milk them.

-It took nine hours to milk them.

-

-Oh!

-But it changed quickly.

-Yes, once we moved the parlour

-to where it is now...

-..and built a shed.

-That made a lot of difference.

-How much do you receive

-per litre of milk?

-At the moment, 60p.

-That's what we get for the milk.

-It looks like it might go up

-at the end of the month.

-Rise again?

-The price of cow's milk is falling.

-There's a shortage of goat's milk.

-It's what's known as a niche market.

-It's a very nutritious milk.

-Yes, it is.

-People drink it to help ease eczema

-and conditions like that.

-How many litres of goat's milk

-do you produce in a week?

-Some of them

-produce five litres a day.

-The average at this time of year,

-as it's colder, is three litres.

-They give three litres every day

-and we milk them twice a day.

-We'd better go from here

-or they'll eat us alive!

-The milk goes to the creamery

-in Abergavenny.

-There, it is churned into cheese

-to be sold in supermarkets.

-It's also exported to America.

-The goats need a lot of food.

-Meirion enjoys experimenting

-with different feeds.

-This year, we're trying pea haulms.

-It's been through the combine.

-The peas go into the feed.

-This would go to waste.

-It's quite tasty for them.

-It's quite sweet.

-It's quite sweet.

-

-Yes, it's sweet.

-It works well with cake

-because it's quite coarse.

-That's what goats want.

-Unlike sheep,

-they don't want soft grass.

-And it's dry food.

-And it's dry food.

-

-Yes, so you don't have to worm them.

-Tell me more about that.

-If I have to worm them, I have

-to leave some of the milk out.

-We lose money then.

-You'd have to worm them

-if you gave them wet feed?

-Yes, but they don't pick up worms

-from dry feed.

-We worm them when they're born

-in case they're carrying worms.

-When they're on dry food, there's

-no reason why they'd pick them up.

-How much food do all the goats

-get through in a year?

-I use about 2,000 square bales

-of hay.

-Big ones then?

-Big ones then?

-

-Yes, the big, square ones.

-I use 2,000 a year.

-And then concentrates.

-And then concentrates.

-

-Yes, concentrates.

-I've got a contract

-of about 600 tonnes a year.

-You also keep sheep on the farm.

-Yes. They keep us busy.

-We don't make any money

-from them at the moment.

-They keep the land.

-They're a lot of work.

-I like sheep on the farm

-so I'll continue to keep them.

-I keep Welsh sheep.

-What's the system with the sheep?

-I call them "easy-care".

-We feed them every morning

-and check on them every evening.

-The lambing is done outside

-so there's no work to do on them.

-We spend a lot of time every day

-making sure everything is OK.

-The whole family do their best to

-ensure that the business succeeds.

-The youngest son, Morgan, is

-responsible for the stock's welfare.

-Meredith has the job of milking.

-It was quite an experience...

-..to go from having none to 700-800

-over the course of a week.

-It was quite difficult

-and challenging to get used to.

-Once we got used to it, it was fine.

-We've got a parlour that does

-a lot of the work for us.

-It's just a case of putting

-the clusters on...

-..and making sure

-they milk properly.

-Is it important for you two...

-..to have a business on the farm

-that allows you both to be home?

-Yes, it is important

-that the farm keeps going.

-With this market now,

-it's something unusual.

-They certainly don't put all

-their eggs in one basket at Glandwr.

-Everybody has their own interests.

-So these are your babies?

-These are my babies - or they used

-to be before the goats took over.

-I haven't got the time now

-to do as much as I used to.

-I try to fit

-a little bit of time in.

-You've been successful in the past.

-You've been successful in the past.

-

-I've done well at the Royal Welsh.

-We had the double championship

-one year with one horse.

-Every year, we take something up.

-It helps with the show

-and we enjoy it.

-How much interest

-do you have in horses?

-A lot.

-I rode a lot when I was young.

-It was mountain horses back then.

-These are a bit bigger.

-These are a bit bigger.

-

-Yes, they are.

-We've been trying to earn money

-from these.

-We've had three

-thoroughbred stallions in all.

-We've got the hunter to sell on.

-We sell the young ones

-at three years old...

-..after we've finished

-showing them.

-You're still making improvements.

-There's a new shed being built.

-Abergavenny have asked me

-to produce twice as much milk.

-The first fortnight

-I sent them milk...

-..they were very pleased.

-They didn't realize

-we had so many goats.

-They wanted us to double

-what we were producing back then.

-Two years on, the little ones

-are starting to get bigger.

-We'll be milking more this summer.

-In general,

-life is good at the moment.

-Yes - at the moment.

-I'm glad that I went into goats.

-I'm able to keep

-our two boys at home.

-I couldn't do that with sheep.

-We know what the income is

-from 500 sheep.

-It was a big outlay.

-If I bought more land, where would

-I get the income to pay for it?

-All we want in order to live in the

-countryside is to keep our income.

-Just to keep the two boys

-on the farm.

-Hopefully,

-they can carry on after me.

-That's all for this programme.

-Where better to finish the programme

-than in the UK's best market cafe...

-..according to

-the Farmers Guardian?

-Until next time,

-thank you for your company.

-Goodbye.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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