Farming Connect has concluded another successful series of farm visits throughout September – increasing the number from 15 to 22 events.
These showcased sustainable land management (SLM) practices through on-farm trials and demonstrations. Held across Wales, they attracted nearly 1,200 attendees and featured insights from 66 expert speakers.
The farm visits provided an opportunity for farmers to learn from their peers as well as from a wide range of different speakers. Events were held across each sector including, red meat, dairy, horticulture, arable, woodland and mixed farming, with a strong focus on the benefits of sustainable practices in line with the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) and innovative technologies.
Twenty-two farms participating in the Farming Connect Our Farms network hosted the events. The speakers, who were working closely with these farms on their individual projects, shared valuable knowledge and experiences from the lessons learned and the results.
In addition, agricultural establishments such as the Welsh Farm Safety Partnership, Arwain DGC, Tir Dewi and Hybu Cig Cymru were invited to join the events to showcase their projects and discuss with farmers.
Three of the farm visits focused on the Farming Connect Welsh Sheep Genetics Programme.
Elan Davies, Head of Genetics at Farming Connect, said:
“Being part of the ‘Our Farms' farm visits provided a fantastic platform for the Welsh Sheep Genetics Programme. It was a great opportunity to connect directly with the farming industry and effectively disseminate project results as well as key messages about genetic improvement that will help move the sheep industry forward.”
Siwan Howatson, head of technical at Farming Connect, said:
“We are incredibly pleased with the success of this year's Our Farms farm visits. They are a testament to the hard work of the Our Farms network’s farmers and a fantastic way to showcase the benefits of sustainable land management practices. We hope all attendees left with new ideas and knowledge to implement on their own farms.”
Attendees expressed enthusiasm for the informative nature of the events, with many citing the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals as a significant benefit.
One farmer, who attended the event at Tanllan shared how they might implement changes on their farm following the information shared during the event.
“I will now look into improving our grazing infrastructure to manage in a way that will improve sward quality and extended grazing period. It was a great learning opportunity.”
Throughout all the events, Farming Connect staff emphasised that all the services that the host farmers had used were also available to every farmer registered with Farming Connect.
Farming Connect can support businesses with a range of advice that will enable them to transition to the SFS. Some examples of support available are: Soil sampling, habitat, woodland and biodiversity planning and Animal Health planning.
