Farming Connect’s Management Exchange programme – recruiting now!

 If you’re focused, ambitious and keen to broaden your horizons, it could be time to check your passport!

 Farming Connect has begun its search for focused and ambitious farmers and foresters keen to enhance their business competitiveness and viability throughparticipation in this year’s Management Exchange programme.  The programme, now in its second year, will fund each participant up to a maximum of £4,000 for a study visit to Europe.

If you’re one of the fortunate few to be selected for this unique opportunity to view best practice at a farm or forestry enterprise of your choice in Europe, itmight be soon be time to pack a suitcase!

“Last year’s successful participants had a fantastic opportunity to

see at first hand many different approaches to business management which broadened their knowledge, technical ability and management expertise,” saysEinir Davies, development and mentoring manager with Menter a Busnes, which delivers Farming Connect.

“All that very valuable learning continues to be shared with the wider industry here in Wales through Farming Connect, which has resulted in many more farm businesses benefitting and adopting more efficient or profitable ways of working.

Farming Connect is funded by Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

“If you are an eligible individual,registered with Farming Connect

and believe you would benefit from an exchange visit to a farm or forestry business within the EU, and/or who would be interested in hosting a suitably trained and experienced farm or forest manager currently working in the EU at their home holding, we would urge you to apply as soon as possible,” said Ms. Davies. The window for applications is open from 31 May to 30 June 2018.

The aims of the programme are to enable both parties to identify developmental opportunities both at a personal and business level, and to facilitate the transfer and application of knowledge into innovative or advanced best practice which they can implement at home and share with the wider industry in Wales. Successful participants will be expected to disseminate findings from their learning experience through Farming Connect’s usual communications channels and events programme.

An independent judging panel will be responsible for the competitive selection process.  All applicants will need to be available for interview onMonday 9 July or Tuesday 10 July 2018 in Aberystwyth.The names of those selected will be announced at an official ceremony at the Royal Welsh Show at Llanelwedd on Monday, 23 July 2018. Successful applicants will then either undertake or host a visit for a period of up to approximately six weeks. Two-way exchange visits will be encouraged but are not essential.

The funding rate for the programme is 100%, up to a maximum of £4,000 with costs reclaimed following the visit or hosting period.

For more detailed information on the benefits of the Farming Connect Management Exchange programme, Terms & Conditions, eligibility criteria and to download application forms visit www.gov.wales/farmingconnect

Management Exchange case study – Richard Roderick, Newton Farm, Scethrog, Powys

Last year, Management Exchange candidate Richard Roderick who farmsa 650 acre beef and sheep holding at Newton Farm near Brecon in partnership with his wife Helen, visited Scotland and the north of England to investigate profitable suckler cow production, based on the maximum utilisation of forage.

“Our aim over the next five years is to make the business more resilient for the changes which lie ahead. A sustainable business will mean producing lamb and beef, mainly from forage, to ensure that the cost base for the production is minimised.

“The hospitality shown and the information shared by the farms visited was overwhelming.

“Visiting other experienced farmers/producers was a huge a privilege and each time I learned something new or a new way of doing something.

“As a result of the visits, greater use of rotational grazing will be used at Newton Farm this summer and we will berecording and evaluating data in line with the new KPIs determined as a result of my exchange.”

Management Exchange case study – Hugh Brookes, Penlan Heritage Breeds, Cenarth, Carmarthenshire

Hugh Brookes who with his wife Katharine, breeds Mangalitza pigs at their hill-top farm in Carmarthenshire, took his research into pig nutrition a step further last year with support from Farming Connect’s Management Exchange programme.

Through their role within the Farming Connect demonstration network, the couple had already accessed advice from an internationally renowned pig nutritionist who formulated a diet that included by-products sourced locally from well-known suppliers, including whey from Caws Cenarth; brewers’ grains from the Mantle Brewery and locally-grown potatoes that don’t quite make the grade for the market.

“It proved a very successful diet that matched our system while also enabling us to improve profitability, performance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but I was keen to learn about different aspects of pig management from other speciality breeders.”

One of 11 successful applicants in 2017,  Hugh visited a leading breeder of Manglitza pigs in Arche De Wiskentale, Austria, where he learned about selective breeding, nutrition, rearing and butchery.

“My study visit proved invaluable, and we are now implementing what I learned, having designed and set up a new paddock system and constructed pig arcs.”

 With their pork on the menu at some of London’s top restaurants, cooked by world renowned chefs, the couple’s appetite for learning – and speciality pork – has clearly paid off.

 

Management Exchange case study – Robb Merchant, White Castle Vineyard, Abergavenny

Robb Merchant and his wife purchased a 12 acre smallholding near Abergavenny in 1993, adding a further five acres in 2008. Although their main employment was outside agriculture, Robb’s early background was spent farming, which he says was a useful background for planting up White Castle Vineyard in 2009.

With support from Farming Connect’s Management Exchange programme, Robb was able to visit successfulsmaller vineyards in France’s Loire region.

“I learned about the wider considerations of not just first-class viticulture and its complex cost management considerations but winemaking and blending on a small scale within a specific geographical region.”

Robb saw at first-hand how French producers maintain and increase the quality of their grapes and wines with a strong focus on soil balance and health. He was also able to compare the business models of small wineries operating independently as opposed to within a co-operative, saying that the latter still allows producers to maintain their own brand.

His exchange began with a visit to the Loire Wine Show, a trade event which introduced him to numerous industry experts including growers, wine journalists and wine buyers before he began his tour of both vineyards and wineries.

“One of the key learning points was the planting of the vines. The distance between the vines in the row was determined by the growing vigour of the variety distances which ranged from 600mm to 1.2m and the use of single guyot pruning. It’s a system which allows each vine to produce a smaller volume of grapes that are easier to ripen with higher sugar volumes at harvest.”

 

Recriwtio nawr ar gyfer rhaglen Cyfnewidfa Rheolaeth Cyswllt Ffermio!

 

Os oes gennych ffocws pendant, yn uchelgeisiol ac yn awyddus i ehangu eich gorwelion, gallai fod yn bryd chwilio am eich pasbort!

Mae Cyswllt Ffermio wedi dechrau chwilio am ffermwyr a choedwigwyr brwdfrydig ac uchelgeisiol sy’n awyddus i gynyddu elfen gystadleuol a hyfywedd eu busnes trwy gymryd rhan yn y rhaglen Gyfnewidfa Rheolaeth eleni.  Bydd y rhaglen, sydd yn ei hail flwyddyn erbyn hyn, yn darparu cyllid hyd at £4,000 i bob un sy’n cymryd rhan i gwblhau taith astudio i Ewrop.

Os ydych chi’n un o’r rhai ffodus i gael eu dewis ar gyfer y cyfle unigryw hwn i weld arfer dda ar fenter fferm neu goedwigaeth o’ch dewis chi yn Ewrop, gallai fod yn bryd i chi bacio eich cês!

“Cafodd ymgeiswyr llwyddiannus y llynedd gyfle gwych i weld nifer o ddulliau gwahanol o resoli busnesau, sydd wedi ehangu ar eu gwybodaeth, eu gallu technegol a’u harbenigedd rheolaeth,” meddai Einir Davies, rheolwr datblygu a mentora gyda Menter a Busnes, sy’n darparu Cyswllt Ffermio.

“Mae’r wybodaeth werthfawr a gafwyd yn parhau i gael ei rannu gyda’r diwydiant ehangach yma yng Nghymru trwy Cyswllt Ffermio, sydd wedi arwain at lawer iawn mwy o fusnesau fferm yn elwa ac yn mabwysiadu dulliau mwy effeithlon neu broffidiol o weithio.

Ariennir Cyswllt Ffermio gan Lywodraeth Cymru a Chronfa Gymdeithasol Ewrop ar gyfer Datblygu Gwledig.

“Os ydych chi’n unigolyn cymwys sydd wedi cofrestru gyda Cyswllt Ffermio, ac yn credu y byddech yn elwa o daith gyfnewid i fusnes ffermio a choedwigaeth o fewn yr UE, a/neu os oes gennych ddiddordeb croesawu rheolwr fferm cymwys a phrofiadol sy’n gweithio yn yr UE i’ch daliad, byddem yn eich annog i ymgeisio cyn gynted â phosibl,” meddai Ms Davies. Mae’r cyfnod ymgeisio’n dechrau ar 31 Mai hyd 30 Mehefin 2018.

Nodau’r rhaglen yw galluogi dwy ochr y gyfnewidfai adnabod cyfleoedd datblygu ar lefel bersonol ac fel busnes, ac i hwyluso’r broses o drosi gwybodaeth yn arferion da neu arloesol y mae modd eu rhoi ar waith gartref a’u rhannu gyda’r diwydiant ehangach yng Nghymru. Bydd disgwyl i ymgeiswyr llwyddiannus rannu canfyddiadau yn deillio o’u profiad trwy sianeli cyfathrebu arferol Cyswllt Ffermio a’r rhaglen ddigwyddiadau.

Bydd panel o feirniaid annibynnol yn gyfrifol am y broses dethol gystadleuol.  Bydd angen i bob ymgeisydd fod ar gael i fynychu cyfweliad ddydd Llun 9 Gorffennaf neu ddydd Mawrth 10 Gorffennaf 2018 yn Aberystwyth.  Bydd enwau’r rhai sy’n cael eu dewis yn cael eu cyhoeddi yn ystod seremoni swyddogol yn Sioe Amaethyddol Frenhinol Cymru, Llanelwedd, ddydd Llun 23 Gorffennaf 2018. Bydd angen i ymgeiswyr llwyddiannus gynnal ymweliad neu groesawu ymwelydd am gyfnod hyd at oddeutu chwech wythnos. Anogir cyfnewidfa ddwy ffordd ond nid yw’n hanfodol.

Mae’r rhaglen yn cael ei hariannu ar gyfradd o 100%, hyd at uchafswm o £4,000 gyda chostau’n cael eu ad hawlio yn dilyn y cyfnod ymweld neu groesawu.

Am fanylion pellach ynglŷn â manteision rhaglen Cyfnewidfa Rheolaeth Cyswllt Ffermio, Telerau ac Amodau, meini prawf cymhwysedd ac i lawr lwytho ffurflenni cais, ewch i www.llyw.cymru/cyswlltffermio

Astudiaeth Achos y Gyfnewidfa Rheolaeth – Richard Roderick, Newton Farm, Scethrog, Powys

Llynedd, bu Richard Roderick, un o ymgeiswyr llwyddiannus y GyfnewidfaRheolaeth sy’n ffermio fferm bîff a defaid cymysg Newton Farm ger  Aberhonddu mewn partneriaeth â’i wraig, Helen, yn ymweld â’r Alban a gogledd Lloegr i edrych ar gynhyrchu gwartheg sugno yn broffidiol, yn seiliedig ar wneud y defnydd gorau posibl o borthiant.

“Ein nod dros y pum mlynedd nesaf yw cryfhau’r busnes i baratoi ar gyfer yr heriau sydd i ddod.Bydd busnes cynaliadwy yn golygu cynhyrchu cig oen a bîff, a hynny o borthiant yn bennaf, er mwyn ceisio cadw costau cynhyrchu’n isel.

“Roedd y lletygarwch a’r wybodaeth a rannwyd gan y ffermydd y bûm yn ymweld â nhw’n wych.

“Roedd hi’n fraint cael ymweld â ffermwyr/cynhyrchwyr profiadol eraill ac fe ddysgais rywbeth newydd neu ffordd newydd o wneud pethau ar bob ymweliad.

“O ganlyniad i’r ymweliadau, byddwn yn gwneud mwy o ddefnydd o systemau pori cylchdro ar fferm Newton Farm yr haf hwn a byddwn yn cofnodi ac yn gwerthuso data yn unol â’r dangosyddion perfformiad allweddol newydd a osodwyd o ganlyniad i’r gyfnewidfa.”

Astudiaeth Achos y Gyfnewidfa Rheolaeth – Hugh Brookes, Penlan Heritage Breeds, Cenarth, Sir Gâr

Mae Hugh Brookes a’i wraig Katharine yn bridio moch Mangalitza ar eu fferm yn Sir Gâr, ac fe aeth â’i waith ymchwil i faeth moch gam ymhellach y llynedd gyda chefnogaeth rhaglen Cyfnewidfa Rheolaeth Cyswllt Ffermio.

Fel rhan o’u gwaith o fewn rhwydwaith arddangos Cyswllt Ffermio, roedd y pâr eisoes wedi derbyn cyngor gan faethegydd sy’n adnabyddus yn genedlaethol a oedd wedi llunio diet yn cynnwys sgil-gynhyrchion gan gyflenwyr lleol, gan gynnwys maidd o gwmni Caws Cenarth; grawn bragu o gwmni Mantle Brewery a thatws sy’n cael eu tyfu’n lleol nad ydynt yn bodloni safon y farchnad.

“Mae wedi bod yn ddiet llwyddiannus sydd wedi gweddu i’n system, gan ein cynorthwyo hefyd i wella proffidioldeb, perfformiad a lleihau allyriadau nwyon tŷ gwydr, ond roeddwn i’n awyddus i ddysgu am wahanol agweddau o reoli moch gan fridwyr arbenigol eraill.”

Roedd Hugh yn un o 11 ymgeisydd llwyddiannus yn 2017, a bu’n ymweld â bridiwr blaenllaw o foch Mangalitza yn Arche De Wiskentale, Awstria, lle bu’n dysgu am fridio detholus, maeth, magu a sgiliau cigyddiaeth.

“Roedd fy nhaith gyfnewid yn fuddiol iawn, ac rydym bellach yn rhoi’r hyn a ddysgais ar waith, wedi i mi lunio a sefydlu system badogau newydd ac adeiladu tylciau moch.”

Mae eu porc bellach ar fwydlenni rhai o fwytai mwyaf blaenllaw Llundain, wedi’i goginio gan gogyddion adnabyddus, felly mae awydd y pâr i ddysgu – ac i gynhyrchu porc arbenigol – yn bendant wedi talu ar ei ganfed.

Astudiaeth Achos y Gyfnewidfa Rheolaeth – Robb Merchant, White Castle Vineyard, Y Fenni

Prynodd Robb Merchant a’i wraig dyddyn 12 erw ger Y Fenni ym 1993, gan ychwanegu pum erw yn 2008.Er mai tu allan i fyd amaeth oedd eu prif ffynhonnell incwm, roedd cefndir cynnar Robb yn ymwneud â ffermio, ac mae’n dweud bod hynny wedi bod yn ddefnyddiol ar gyfer plannu Gwinllan White Castle Vineyard yn 2009.

Gyda chefnogaeth rhaglen Cyfnewidfa Rheolaeth Cyswllt Ffermio, cafodd Robb ymwled â gwinllannau llwyddiannus ar raddfa fechan yn rhanbarth Loire yn Ffrainc.

“Dysgais agweddau ehangach yn ymwneud â gwinwyddaeth o’r radd flaenaf ac ystyriaethau rheoli costau cymhleth yn ogystal â chynhyrchu gwin a chymysgu ar raddfa fechan o fewn ardal ddaearyddol benodol.”

Cafodd Robb gyfle i weld drosto ei hun sut mae cynhyrchwyr yn Ffrainc yn cynnal ac yn gwella ansawdd eu grawnwin a’u gwinoedd gan ganolbwyntio ar gydbwysedd ac iechyd y pridd. Cafodd hefyd gyfle i gymharu modelau busnes gwindai bychain eraill sy’n gweithredu’n annibynnol yn hytrach nag o fewn trefniant cydweithredol, gan nodi bod yr ail opsiwn yn dal i ganiatáu cynhyrchwyr i gynnal eu brandiau eu hunain.

Dechreuodd y gyfnewidfa gydag ymweliad â sioe Loire Wine Show, sef digwyddiad masnach a’i cyflwynodd i nifer o arbenigwyr yn y diwydiant gan gynnwys tyfwyr, newyddiadurwyr gwin a phrynwyr gwin cyn iddo ddechrau ar ei daith yn ymweld â gwinllannau a gwindai.

“Un o’r prif bwyntiau i’w dysgu oedd plannu’r gwinwydd. Mae’r pellter rhwng y gwinwydd yn y rhes yn cael ei bennu gan dyfiant y math penodol, ac roedd y pellter yn amrywio o 600mm i 1.2m ac yn defnyddio techneg tocio unigol Guyot. Mae’n system sy’n caniatáu pob gwinwydd i gynhyrchu cyfanswm tebyg o rawnwin sy’n aeddfedu’n rhwyddach ac yn cynnwys mwy o siwgr wrth gynaeafu.”