Farming Connect has announced more detail on its upcoming Innovation and Diversification event, billed as “the event that no Welsh farmer will want to miss.”
In its third year, the event has a wide range of speakers, all able to provide advice and support to farmers looking to add additional streams of income to their business.
With over 1,000 attendees due to attend on Thursday 21st September at The Royal Welsh Showground, the event’s aim is to inspire diversification and encourage ‘the next idea’ in order to develop and innovate Welsh farms.
A variety of expert speakers can be heard throughout the day discussing everything from technology, vertical farming and adding value to food and primary products, to animal health as well as a representative from Welsh Government who will provide information on the latest schemes, funding and support available to the industry.
There will also be showcases and exhibits from industry professionals including, Breedr, Dragon Renewables, EEM Farming Solutions, Bennaman, Berrys, ADAS, NFU Energy, JMS Planning and Development, Solar Gate Farming, Menter Môn and Food Innovation Wales.
Another exclusive at the event are free 1-2-1 surgeries with Farming Connect approved consultants on subjects such as business, diversification, planning and finance. Attendees will also be able to seek advice on how they could benefit from all the support available to them and can talk to the Farming Connect team about advisory services, training, mentoring and clinics. Booking ahead of the event is encouraged.
Eirwen Williams, director of rural programmes with Menter a Busnes says that securing such a wealth of industry experts for the event was essential.
“We know that farmers in Wales are keen to look at alternative sources of income but often don’t know where to start. This event, which has gone from strength to strength in recent years, is the perfect place to inspire innovative ideas! We offer farmers a chance to connect with people who can offer genuine support and guidance as well as support from other farmers who have already started on their diversification journey.”
The event will also include an area dedicated to the Farming Connect Podcast – Ear to The Ground, where the team will be hosting various informative and engaging sessions with industry experts and farmers, ensuring no one misses out on the day’s highlights.
To attend, register for free via the Farming Connect website.
There are a few exhibitor places still available, to showcase a product or service, or promote your organisation at the show, ensure your exhibitor space is booked via the Farming Connect website.
Farming Connect
Event Speakers & Bios
Mark Lord – Berrys mark.lord@berrys.uk.com
Mark joined Berrys in 2017 after having worked at Lloyds Bank for 36 years, of which more than 25 years were spent working in the agricultural sector. Mark chose to specialise in agriculture because of the areas he has been based in – North Wales and Shropshire – and the many diverse enterprises and opportunities farming and the rural economy present. His wealth of experience comes from his time as a Senior Agricultural Manager which involved supporting clients with investment opportunities, diversifying their businesses and troubleshooting when things do not work as expected. Mark’s role for Berrys involves working as an Adviser for Farming Connect, delivering 1 to 1 advice by appraising and reviewing clients’ businesses with full supporting analysis of their historic financial performance and supporting their future opportunities. Mark is also a member of the British Institute of Agricultural Consultants (BIAC) and on the organising committee for their annual Welsh Conference.
Helen Ovens – ADAS helen.ovens@adas.co.uk
Helen is an ADAS consultant with 25 years’ experience of rural development and agricultural systems. She is an approved advisor for the Farming Connect programme, with a specialism in farm level carbon auditing and action planning to manage emissions, working on Welsh Government, HCC, AHDB and Defra contracts. Helen recently brokered projects for the EIP programme in Wales on topics such as animal health and livestock tracking in extensive grazing systems. Recent work includes an evaluation of the HCC hill flock genetic improvement programme and modelling suckler herd emissions in Wales. Helen is a Welsh speaker and studied at UEA Norwich for sustainable agricultural system and SAC Aberdeen for crop protection. She is one of the first people to achieve the BASIS farm emissions and carbon management advice qualification in the UK, as well as being BASIS soil and water qualified.
Toni Borella – Green Up Farm
With a background working in the tech sector, Toni always knew she had passion for nutritious, fresh and local products. From summer holidays in Pembrokeshire as a child to moving into the area permanently with her husband in 2019, the beautiful Pembrokeshire inspired Toni to explore more environmentally friendly methods of food production. She co-founded Green Up Farm in November 2021 and since receiving invaluable support and mentorship from Cywain in April 2022, they are now rapidly expanding to become the first hydroponic vertical farm based in Pembrokeshire, producing high-quality, fresh microgreens, herbs and specialty crops. Green Up Farm are currently working with some of the best chefs, restaurants, cafes and gastro-pubs in and around Pembrokeshire, delivering quality crops which add colours and flavours to already tantalising dishes.
Dr. Chris Mann – Bannamann
Dr. Chris Mann is the co-founder, Chairman and Chief Technology Officer at Bennamann, a company leading a clean energy revolution in farming. Chris qualified as an applied physicist working in the space sector developing sensors used to establish the presence of the ozone hole and the early onset of climate change. Since Bennamann was founded in 2011, Chris has been fully committed to developing fugitive methane gas capture technology. He knows the huge disruptive potential this innovative technology has to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, providing farmers with more on-farm energy independence and the potential for a diversified new income stream. Bennamann is excited about sharing their technology with the Welsh farming community through the Innovation and Diversification Wales event.
Anna Bowen – The Anderson Centre
abowen@theandersoncentre.co.uk
Anna grew up on a Welsh dairy farm and studied International Equine and Agricultural Management at the Royal Agricultural University, followed by a Masters in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. She is currently undertaking a postgraduate certificate at the University of Aberystwyth. She was awarded a 2021 Nuffield Scholarship looking at options for improving the ethics of dairy farming, focusing on options for dairy beef, the feasibility of cow calf contact dairying, and cross- industry lessons in social licence from horse racing. In November 2023 she will present her findings at the annual Nuffield Conference. Her scholarship is sponsored by the Elizabeth Creake Charitable Trust. Anna now lives in Ceredigion where she contract farms a herd of 300 spring block calving dairy cows with her partner. Outside of the farm, Anna works full-time as a farm business consultant for The Andersons Centre and is a freelance writer and independent mobility scorer.
Ioan Humphreys – @that_welsh_farmer
You may recognise Ioan from his online videos on the realities of farming in Wales, many of which have taken the internet by storm. Ioan has managed his family’s upland and hill farm since 2013. The 500-acre farm has been in the family since 1903, and now has 850 ewes (Welsh Mountain, Welsh Speckled Face, Texel, Suffolk and Welsh Mules), 20 cattle (Hereford, Angus and British Blue suckler cows with a pedigree Limousin bull) and more recently, Ioan has become a poultryman and added 32,000 laying hens to the farm in 2019. In addition, the farm has also added a small holiday business of three log cabins on the farm. Ioan’s ongoing focus is to help educate the nation on why British agriculture is so important.
Edward Morgan – Castell Howell
Born and raised on a mixed farm in Carmarthenshire, Edward has over 35 years’ experience working in the food sector and has been with Castell Howell for 22 years. He leads numerous supply chain projects, including a recent collaborative ‘Welsh Veg to Welsh Schools’ initiative with Lantra and Farming Connect.
David Selwyn – Landker
In 2006, David joined Landsker Business Solutions Ltd. With a blend of theoretical knowledge and real business experience, he has been able to offer focused and effective customer facing consultancy support to a number of industries and disciplines. This has resulted in supporting the local SME Welsh economy (including many farmers looking to diversify) through the creation and safeguarding of jobs, improving infrastructure, increasing revenue and/or profitability, gaining public, private and charity funding, and making strategic and operational improvements. David is passionate about developing realistic plans to support businesses to grow and then helping to turn these plans into tangible projects that help drive business profitability and secure business sustainability. Landsker are delighted to be funding partners with the Development Bank of Wales in relation to their Social Fund.
Dilwyn Evans – Clarkson’s Farm
Dilwyn Evans was brought up on a 67acre farm in Llanddewi Brefi, Cardiganshire. The farm had 29 dairy cows, eight sows and was sufficient to bring up a family of four children in the seventies and eighties. His upbringing meant that Dilwyn always had a keen interest in farming and agriculture, which led to going to the University of Edinburgh to study veterinary medicine. He qualified in 1986 and after spending six months in Malawi on a project studying cattle dipping to avoid tick borne diseases, joined a mixed practice in Lechlade, Gloucestershire. After spells working as a mixed vet in Mold and Kington, returned to Lechlade. Recently, Dilwyn has been involved with Clarkson’s Farm, a series on Amazon Prime, following Jeremy Clarkson farming his 1000 acre farm in the Cotswolds, and his attempts to diversify and open a farm shop and restaurant.
Mandy Watkins – Space Like This
With a degree in business and sociology, a diploma in professional interior design and a stint working for an interior designer in Cheshire, she went on to establish Mandy Watkins Interiors in 2008 and launched Space Like This in 2013. Space Like This is a leading design studio that creates unique and detailed interiors for commercial projects and residential homes. With her ever-evolving obsession for all things interiors, Mandy Watkins has built her business to mirror her deep passion for stylish spaces. Her belief in offering a stellar service that helps people make the most out of their space is reflected in all her projects. With over 16 years of experience as an interior designer, Mandy has a strong mix of domestic and commercial clients and has built a local and loyal following. Mandy’s delicate eye for detail and decisive approach has helped create the strong reputation that the name has today.
Richard Evans – Welsh Government
Richard Evans works in the Agriculture, Sustainability and Development Division within Welsh Government with responsibility for developing and managing agricultural support schemes. The current offer supports farmers as they respond to market changes, build resilience into their businesses and adapt to climate change and decarbonisation commitments.
John Morris – Welsh Farmhouse
John and his family own a 70-acre organic farm near Crickhowell which over the years has diversified into seven enterprises, including ‘Welsh Farmhouse Apple Juice’. As a small producer based in rural Wales, the family were thrilled when the then Prince Charles first asked them to press and bottle apple and pear juices from fruit picked at his royal estates. Following a royal visit to the farm a few years later, they became one of the smallest food and drink companies in the world to be honoured with the Royal Warrant. John will be a familiar face to Countryfile viewers and is a passionate advocate for increasing horticulture production in Wales. He is also a director for Our Food 1200.
Dave Oates – Farm for Nature
Rosuick Organic Farm is a traditional farmstead in the heart of the Cornish Lizard peninsula. Since the 1700s, the farm has been home to the Oates family who manage the farm on a commercial basis but also with a strong environmental ethos. An advocate of regenerative farming practices, Dave firmly believes that farming can have a positive impact on the environment, both increasing biodiversity and carbon capture at the same time as producing healthy, nutritious food. In terms of diversification, Rosuick has many enterprises both past and present, including a camel trekking business, farm shop, café and open farm, wedding and events venues, holiday cottages, agricultural research/trial projects, glamping, commercial workshop rentals, land consultancy, agroforestry, agricultural contracting, farm tours, educational visits including school and care farm, and inclusive events for people with additional needs in the community. Rosuick farm aims to connect people with food, farming and nature.
Philip Hughes – Ekogea UK Limited
As Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Rural), Fellow of the Association of Agricultural Valuers, Nuffield Farming Scholar (NSch) and BSc (Hons) in Rural Enterprise and Land Management, Philip has the skills and track record of developing and growing successful businesses. Philip works closely with clients and stakeholders to ensure best outcomes, equally focused on product development as commercial solutions, delivered in a time sensitive manner. Philip led the work for Ekogea UK with a commitment in 2017 to build a ‘trial’ 200kW AD plant at his family farm, Hendwr, to demonstrate the effectiveness of BioComplex with great success.
Chris Brooks – Westflght Renewable
Having been developing off-grid electrical systems for remote Welsh hill farms since the 1960s, Chris Brooks is the founder and managing director of Westflight Ltd. who design and install renewable energy systems specifically in the agricultural sector across Wales. The organisation has built a strong reputation for engineering and innovation with renewable energy technologies including wind, solar and especially small scale hydro. Projects are varied, from small off-grid systems for remote farms or glamping sites to large scale farmer owned commercial projects which generate electricity as an alternative revenue source. Initially qualified as an agricultural engineer and with a long history in mechanical and electrical engineering, Chris also farms on a small hill farm in mid Wales.
Sioned Davies – Oxbury Bank
Sioned grew up on her family’s beef and sheep farm in mid Wales, she then went on to study Agri-Food Marketing with Business Studies at Harper Adams University. Having joined Oxbury on the graduate scheme in 2020, she then completed rotations within the Credit and Risk, Sales and Marketing teams. After completing a six-month sabbatical studying agriculture and agricultural practices in north and south America, Sioned settled into her current role at Oxbury which consists of developing, launching and managing new products. Sioned is passionate about getting young farmers and new entrants into the industry, and one of these products includes Oxbury New Gen, a product designed specifically for new entrants to agriculture.
Iain Cox – Eco Studio
Iain Cox’s experience is in helping organisations to put sustainability into practice. Over 20 years, he has worked with development agencies, policy makers, leadership teams, SMEs and social enterprises to deliver sustainability projects that generate commercial advantage and new income streams. Picking up awards, informing policy and gaining media coverage along the way. Iain works mainly with land-based organisations across food and farming supply chains in Wales and beyond to develop commercially sound strategies, products and services that deliver measurable environmental and positive social outcomes for their clients. He is an experienced consultant, trainer and business mentor. He has an MSc in Environmental Decision Making and is a qualified practitioner in Carbon and Water Footprinting and Social Impact. He regularly chairs and participates in panel discussions on topics including sustainability, innovation, net zero and the circular economy.
Ben Williams – Glanbia / Leprinofoods
benwilliams@glanbiacheese.co.uk
Ben Williams has an expansive career in agriculture delivering R&D and trials of innovative technologies and processes which has led to new Agri-Tech. As well as the foundational research, Ben has been responsible for dissemination and learning across a number of agriculture sectors, including pig and dairy sectors. In particular, Ben’s focus has been on data systems and the data that arises from Agri-Tech, how it can be of value to farmers and the barriers to adoption. With a passion to see the industry succeed in meeting its societal obligations in terms of sustainability, he became the Sustainability Manager for Glanbia Cheese in 2022 (Now Leprino Foods), where he uses behavioural change methods to drive practical solutions for reducing the dairy sector’s impact on the planet.
Josh Riddett – Easy Crypto Hunter
alexeasycryptohunter@gmail.com
Josh Riddett is an award winning entrepreneur and a leading expert in the UK cryptocurrency space. Founder of Easy Crypto Hunter, Josh has keynoted at cryptocurrency, property, agriculture and energy conferences across the UK. Alongside this, he has been consulting and advising for some of the biggest names in the cryptocurrency industry and mentoring new companies trying to enter the space. Josh’s achievements have culminated in advisory positions for both the EU Parliament and the UK Home Office. Josh has also been featured in leading national and global publications. Josh’s honest and transparent approach to cryptocurrency has established him as the ‘go to guy’ for Cryptocurrency Mining equipment. More recently, Josh featured in ‘Crypto Farmers’, a documentary on the global Documentary+ platform.
Jon Haines – Agroforestry
Jon Haines grew up in Monmouthshire and went on to study Agriculture at the University of Nottingham. Since then, Jon has held a variety of roles within the agriculture and farming sector, including travelling to implement and support farmer projects with herb, spice and tea farmers around the world. He has also helped to set up a pioneering community aquaculture project off the coast of St Davids, Pembrokeshire. Jon currently works as an Agroforestry Advisor for the Soil Association. Within his role, Jon brings knowledge and experience of both arboriculture and agriculture. He helps farmers and growers with agroforestry technical, marketing, supply chain and networking queries. Jon has a passion for helping farmers best unlock the value of trees in their farming systems. Favouring a collaborative approach to promote and support growers to adapt to the many challenges agriculture is currently facing.
Rhodri Jones – Rural Advisor
rhodri.jones@ruraladvisor.co.uk
After achieving his LLB (Hons) in Law from Swansea University, Rhodri Jones started his career as a solicitor before moving into the agriculture and farming sector and becoming a leading specialist in an agricultural law firm for over ten years, becoming a Fellow of the Agricultural Law Association. In 2022, Rhodri became the director of Rural Advisor where he specialises in joint ventures and collaboration in farming and utilises his vast experience to provide a holistic succession planning. Rhodri now splits his time between consulting and operating a dairy farm in a family partnership and is passionate about combining his technical and practical experience to help drive the industry forward
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