Anguish turns to hope for a West Wales dairy farmer

 

The legacy of a young dairy farmer who died in tragic circumstances last year is set to live on as his father seeks a new entrant to farm the holding.

Owen Carlisle had built up a successful dairy business at Llainrhydwen, Newcastle Emlyn, with his father, Egan, before he took his own life after struggling with mental health issues.

Mr Carlisle, who sold the milking herd after Owen’s death, has now turned to Farming Connect’s Venture programme in his search for a first-generation farmer to farm the 160-acre holding.

Venture is an initiative designed to pair up landowners who are looking to step back from the industry with new entrants, offering funding for business planning and legal guidance.

Mr Carlisle is adamant that the farming opportunity must be offered to someone starting out in the industry.

“Owen came home to farm when he was 16 and I want to give that opportunity to another youngster, someone who is trying to get onto the farming ladder,’’ he says. “It is so hard for a youngster to get into dairy farming, the farm is set up as a dairy farm and I want someone else to benefit from what we have done here.’’

Mr Carlisle’s parents had themselves come to Llainrhydwen as new entrants with no family background in farming.

At one point the family was milking 140 cows and invested £80,000 in a 14/28 Waikato parlour.

In recent years, cow numbers were scaled back to 60 Montbéliardes, a breed that Owen favoured.

As well as the milking parlour, the farm is well equipped with a 3,000-litre bulk tank, cubicle housing for up to 120 cows, silage and slurry storage and a dedicated calf shed with a feed passage for rearing youngstock from birth through to turnout.

There is also accommodation – an annex to the farmhouse that would be suitable for a small family.

Mr Carlisle hopes he can get someone in place by September and, in the meantime, is growing silage to provide fodder for any livestock that might be at the farm in the winter.

Although the farm is 160 acres, he says the new entrant does not necessarily have to start with the entire acreage. “There would be an opportunity to grow into it as some could be rented out for summer grazing until all the land is needed.’’

Since Owen’s death last June, the farm has been rented out for summer grazing and winter sheep tack and Mr Carlisle also retained 30 yearlings.

He doesn’t want to sell the farm but is ready to take a step back.

Although there has been interest from existing farmers keen to run it as a satellite farm, Mr Carlisle doesn’t want to go down that route.

He is pleased that he has the opportunity to use Venture to help with his search.

“It is a good initiative that brings together existing farmers like me who are no longer keen to be hands-on farmers but who don’t want to sell and young people looking for opportunities to farm.’’

Einir Davies, who manages the Farming Connect Venture programme said, “I have the greatest respect for Mr Carlisle who under the most tragic circumstances has shown such courage and strength. His dedication to searching for a young farmer to work alongside him again and his desire to give this opportunity to a genuine new entrant is to be admired.”

Anyone interested in Mr Carlisle’s opportunity are advised not to contact him directly. Contact Farming Connect to express an interest and they will coordinate enquiries on Mr Carlisle’s behalf.

Venture is a land matching service delivered under the Farming Connect programme. It’s designed to match older farmers looking to take a step back from full time farming with young entrants looking for a route into the industry. When a match is established it can also provide business and legal advice to establish a new joint venture.

There are currently around 60 providers actively looking for a match on Venture. Any potential ‘Seekers’ (the name given to young entrants looking for opportunities though the Venture programme) are required to complete a profile on the Farming Connect website before they can access the full list of opportunities.

Farming Connect is delivered by Menter a Busnes on behalf of the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Gofid yn troi’nobaith i ffermwr llaeth yng Ngorllewin Cymru

 

Yn dilyn marwolaeth ffermwr llaeth ifanc y llynedd dan amgylchiadau trasig, mae ei dad yn chwilio am newydd ddyfodiad i ffermio’r daliad er mwyn sicrhau dilyniant i waith ei fab.

 

Roedd Owen Carlisle wedi adeiladu busnes odro lwyddiannus yn Llainrhydwen, Castell Newydd Emlyn, gyda’i dad, Egan, cyn iddo gymryd ei fywyd ei hun ar ôl brwydro gyda phroblemau iechyd meddwl.

 

Gwerthodd Mr Carlisle y fuches laeth yn dilyn marwolaeth Owen, ac mae bellach wedi troi at raglen Mentro Cyswllt Ffermio i chwilio am newydd ddyfodiad i ffermio’r daliad 160 erw.

 

Mae Mentro yn fenter a luniwyd i baru perchnogion tir sy’n chwilio am gyfle i gymryd cam yn ôl o’r diwydiant gyda newydd ddyfodiaid, gan gynnig cyllid ar gyfer cynllunio busnes ac arweiniad cyfreithiol.

 

Mae Mr Carlisle yn benderfynol y dylid cynnig y cyfle yma i berson sydd ar ddechrau ei yrfa yn y diwydiant.

 

“Daeth Owen adref i ffermio pan oedd yn 16 mlwydd oed ac rydw i eisiau rhoi’r cyfle hwnnw i berson ifanc arall, rhywun sy’n cymryd ei gamau cyntaf yn y diwydiant ffermio,” meddai. “Mae hi mor anodd i berson ifanc ddod i mewn i’r diwydiant llaeth. Mae’r fferm wedi cael ei sefydlu fel fferm laeth ac rydw i eisiau i rywun arall elwa o’r hyn yr ydym ni wedi’i wneud yma.”

 

Roedd rhieni Mr Carlisle ei hun wedi dod i Lainrhydwen fel newydd ddyfodiaid heb unrhyw gefndir teuluol yn y diwydiant ffermio.

 

Ar un adeg, roedd y teulu’n godro 140 o wartheg ac wedi buddsoddi £80,000 mewn parlwr Waikato 14/28.

 

Dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, roedd nifer y gwartheg wedi lleihau i 60 o wartheg o frid Montbéliardes, brid a oedd Owen yn ei ffafrio.

 

Yn ogystal â’r parlwr godro, mae’r fferm yn cynnwys tanc llaeth 3,000 litr, ciwbiclau ar gyfer hyd at 120 o wartheg, storfeydd silwair a slyri a sied loia benodol gyda llwybr porthi i allu magu stoc ifanc o enedigaeth hyd eu troi allan.

 

Ceir llety yno hefyd – estyniad i’r ffermdy a fyddai’n addas ar gyfer teulu bach.

 

Mae Mr Carlisle yn gobeithio cael rhywun mewn lle erbyn mis Medi, ac yn y cyfamser, mae’n tyfu silwair er mwyn darparu porthiant ar gyfer unrhyw stoc a allai fod ar y fferm erbyn y gaeaf.

 

Er bod y fferm yn 160 erw, mae’n dweud nad oes rhaid i’r newydd ddyfodiad ddechrau gyda’r holl dir. “Byddai cyfle i dyfu i mewn i’r fferm, gan y byddai modd gosod rhannau ar rent ar gyfer pori yn yr haf nes bod angen yr holl dir.”

 

Ers colli Owen ym mis Mehefin y llynedd, mae’r fferm cael ei osod ar rent ar gyfer pori’r haf ac i gadw defaid dros y gaeaf, ac mae Mr Carlisle hefyd wedi cadw 30 hesbin.

 

Nid yw’n dymuno gwerthu’r fferm ond mae’n barod i gymryd cam yn ôl.

 

Er bod diddordeb wedi bod gan ffermwyr presennol sy’n awyddus i’w rhedeg fel fferm ychwanegol i’w daliad eu hunain, nid yw Mr Carlisle eisiau dilyn y trywydd hwnnw.

 

Mae’n falch bod ganddo gyfle i ddefnyddio rhaglen Mentro i’w gynorthwyo i chwilio.

 

“Mae’n fenter dda sy’n dod â ffermwyr presennol fel fi, sydd bellach ddim yn awyddus i ffermio’n ymarferol ond ddim eisiau gwerthu, ynghyd â phobl ifanc sy’n chwilio am gyfle i ffermio.”

 

Dywedodd Einir Davies, sy’n rheoli rhaglen Mentro Cyswllt Ffermio, “Mae gen i barch mawr at Mr Carlisle sydd wedi dangos cymaint o ddewrder a chryfder dan amodau mor anodd. Mae ei ymrwymiad i chwilio am ffermwr ifanc i weithio gydag ef unwaith eto a’i awydd i gynnig y cyfle yma i newydd ddyfodiad gwirioneddol yn rhywbeth i’w edmygu.”

 

Cynghorir unrhyw un sydd â diddordeb yn y cyfle a gynigir gan Mr Carlisle i beidio â chysylltu ag ef yn uniongyrchol. Cysylltwch â Cyswllt Ffermio i ddatgan diddordeb a bydd y tîm yn cydlynu ymholiadau ar ran Mr Carlisle.

 

Mae Mentro yn wasanaeth paru tir a ddarperir dan raglen Cyswllt Ffermio. Mae wedi cael ei lunio i baru ffermwyr hŷn sy’n dymuno cymryd cam yn ôl o ffermio llawn amser gyda newydd ddyfodiaid sy’n chwilio am gyfle i gamu i mewn i’r diwydiant. Pan fo pâr wedi cael ei ganfod, gall y rhaglen hefyd ddarparu cyngor busnes a chyfreithiol i sefydlu menter newydd ar y cyd.

 

Ar hyn o bryd, mae oddeutu 60 o ddarparwyr yn chwilio am rywun i gydweithio a hwy ar y rhaglen Mentro. Gofynnir i unrhyw ‘Geiswyr’ posibl (yr enw a roddir i newydd ddyfodiaid sy’n chwilio am gyfleoedd trwy’r rhaglen Mentro) gwblhau proffil ar wefan Cyswllt Ffermio <https://businesswales.gov.wales/farmingconnect/cy/proffil-y-ceisiwr> cyn cael mynediad at y rhestr lawn o gyfleoedd.

 

Darperir Cyswllt Ffermio gan Menter a Busnes ar ran Llywodraeth Cymru a Chronfa Amaethyddol Ewrop ar gyfer Datblygu Gwledi