Setting reasonable goals and continually updating those when targets are consistently achieved can help Welsh farm businesses in all sectors improve. /Gall gosod nodau rhesymol a’u diweddaru pan fo targedau’n cael eu cyrraedd yn gyson helpu busnesau ffermio ym mhob sector yng Nghymru i wella.

At the annual Wales Farming Conference in Builth Wells, Wisconsin dairy farmer Lloyd Holterman insisted that every farm needed key performance indicators (KPIs) to progress.

“Farmers have to constantly improve their businesses to move forward but if they don’t have a measurement, a goal, they are never going to know how to get there. That applies to all farms, whatever their scale, big or small.’’

One of his goals was to achieve 1.7 litres of milk from 1kg of dry matter from the herd of 1072 Holsteins he runs with his wife, Daphne.

Once they achieved that, they focused on maintaining yield by measuring feed efficiency and other KPIs monthly.

“Don’t give up on a goal when you have achieved it,’’ Mr Holterman told more than 200 delegates attending the conference.

That message was shared by agri-food consultant Dr Jonathan Birnie, who advised farmers to identify the single biggest limiting factor in their business and to work out how to overcome it, seeking the help of others if needed.

He predicts exciting opportunities for Welsh farmers as demand increases from a growing world population and, even though there will be challenges too, the challenges of their global competitors will be greater due to factors including drought, pests, disease and soil loss impacting on yields from agriculture.

“The UK’s ability to grow grass and grain is significant, output and productivity can increase and we have 70 million consumers sitting beside us.’’

He urged farmers to use data to manage, compare and justify their business decisions, using large retailers as a case in point.

Those retailers had become dominant because they had collected data on consumers and used it to manage their businesses, he said.

Dr Birnie also advised farmers to keep learning – last year Farming Connect held 1200 knowledge transfer events across Wales and 6,500 farmers undertook training through Farming Connect.

“Research shows that the average income of farmers who undergo continuous professional development is 12% higher than those that don’t,’’ he said.

Welsh sheep farmer Rhys Williams has grown his business by seeking knowledge and advice from others, specifically pioneers of the low-cost pasture based system he is developing in north Wales.

“I have sought inspiration from those who are excellent at growing grass and developing people, they made me take a huge interest in share farming and grassland farming,’’ said Mr Williams, who runs a large scale flock of Easycare ewes in a share farming partnership in Abergele.

Other speakers at the conference included Chris Moon OBE, a former farmer and British Army Officer who lost an arm and a leg while clearing landmines for a charity in Africa.

In a time of uncertainty for farming Mr Moon told farmers not to be crushed by that uncertainty. “Whatever life throws are us, however uncertain the future, we must never adopt the attitude that we are crushed.’’

There were presentations by award winning Irish beef farmer Ger Dineen and dairy farmers, Tom Foot and Neil Grigg.

Three Nuffield scholars, livestock farmers Richard Tudor, Alexander Brewster and Geraint Powell, outlined the findings of their research and how they had integrated this into their businesses.

There were presentations by Farming Connect technical officers Lisa Roberts, Rhys Davies, Gethin Prys Davies, Imogen Ward, Catherine Price, Geraint Jones and Dr Delana Davies.

One of the delegates, Llyndy Isaf scholar Teleri Fielden summed up the day. “We have heard from seriously inspirational speakers. Today has given us all an opportunity to step back and to look at things with a fresh perspective. It is all too easy to be swamped by uncertainty.’’

Gall gosod nodau rhesymol a’u diweddaru pan fo targedau’n cael eu cyrraedd yn gyson helpu busnesau ffermio ym mhob sector yng Nghymru i wella.

Yn ystod Cynhadledd Ffermio flynyddol Cymru a gynhaliwyd yn Llanfair-ym-muallt, dywedodd y ffermwr llaeth o Wisconsin, Lloyd Holterman, fod angen dangosyddion perfformiad allweddol ar bob fferm er mwyn gwneud cynnydd.

“Mae’n rhaid i ffermwyr wella eu busnesau’n barhaus er mwyn symud ymlaen, ond os nad oes ganddyn nhw ffon fesur neu nod, ni fyddant yn gwybod sut i gyrraedd yno. Mae hynny’n wir ar bob fferm, beth bynnag fo’r raddfa, boed yn fferm fechan neu’n fenter sylweddol.’’

Un o’i nodau oedd cynhyrchu 1.7 litr o laeth o 1kg o ddeunydd sych o’r fuches o 1072 o wartheg Holstein y mae ef a’i wraig, Daphne, yn ei rheoli.

Unwaith yr oeddent wedi cyrraedd y nod honno, roedden nhw’n canolbwyntio ar reoli’r cynnyrch drwy fesur effeithlonrwydd porthiant a dangosyddion perfformiad allweddol eraill bob mis.

“Peidiwch â rhoi nod o’r neilltu wedi i chi ei chyflawni,” meddai Mr Holterman wrth y gynulleidfa o dros 200 yn y gynhadledd.

Roedd y neges honno’n cael ei rhannu gan yr ymgynghorydd bwyd amaeth Dr Jonathan Birnie, a fu’n cynghori ffermwyr i adnabod y ffactor sy’n cyfyngu fwyaf ar eu busnes a chanfod sut i’w oresgyn, gan ofyn am gymorth gan eraill os oes angen.

Mae’n rhagweld cyfleoedd cyffrous i ffermwyr Cymru wrth i’r galw gynyddu o ganlyniad i boblogaeth gynyddol ledled y byd, ac er y bydd heriau’n ogystal, bydd heriau eu cystadleuwyr ar lefel fyd-eang yn fwy o ganlyniad i ffactorau gan gynnwys sychder, plâu, clefydau a cholledion pridd yn effeithio ar gynnyrch amaethyddol.

“Mae gallu’r DU i dyfu glaswellt a grawn yn sylweddol, gall allbynnau a chynhyrchiant gynyddu ac mae gennym ni 70 miliwn o ddefnyddwyr yn eistedd o’n cwmpas.’’

Bu’n annog ffermwyr i ddefnyddio data ar gyfer rheoli, cymharu a chyfiawnhau eu penderfyniadau busnes, gan ddefnyddio manwerthwyr mawr fel enghraifft.

Roedd y manwerthwyr hynny wedi dominyddu gan eu bod wedi casglu data’n ymwneud â’u prynwyr ac wedi ei ddefnyddio i reoli eu busnesau, meddai.

Bu Dr Birnie hefyd yn cynghori ffermwyr i barhau i ddysgu – cynhaliwyd 1200 o ddigwyddiadau trosglwyddo gwybodaeth gan Cyswllt Ffermio y llynedd, a chwblhaodd 6,500 o ffermwyr hyfforddiant drwy raglen Cyswllt Ffermio.

“Mae gwaith ymchwil yn dangos bod incwm cyfartalog ffermwyr sy’n cwblhau gweithgareddau datblygiad proffesiynol parhaus yn 12% yn uwch na’r rhai nad ydynt,” meddai.

Mae’r ffermwr defaid, Rhys Williams wedi datblygu ei fusnes drwy chwilio am wybodaeth a chyngor gan eraill, yn enwedig arloeswyr y system gost isel yn seiliedig ar borfa y mae’n ei ddatblygu yng ngogledd Cymru.

“Rydw i wedi cael fy ysbrydoli gan y rhai sy’n ardderchog am dyfu glaswellt a datblygu pobl. Maen nhw wedi gwneud i mi gymryd diddordeb mawr mewn ffermio cyfran a ffermio tir glas,” meddai Mr Williams, sy’n cadw diadell raddfa fawr o famogiaid Easycare mewn partneriaeth ffermio cyfran yn Abergele.

Roedd siaradwyr gwadd eraill yn y gynhadledd yn cynnwys Chris Moon OBE, cyn-ffermwr a Swyddog yn y Fyddin Brydeinig a gollodd ei fraich a’i goes wrth glirio ffrwydron tir ar ran elusen yn Affrica.

Mewn cyfnod o ansicrwydd i ffermwyr, dywedodd Mr Moon wrth ffermwyr i beidio â chael eu llethu gan yr ansicrwydd hwnnw. “Beth bynnag a ddaw, a beth bynnag fo’r ansicrwydd at y dyfodol, mae’n rhaid i ni beidio â chael ein llethu.’’

Cafwyd cyflwyniadau gan Ger Dineen, ffermwr bîff llwyddiannus o Iwerddon, a’r ffermwyr llaeth, Tom Foot a Neil Grigg.

Bu’r ffermwr da byw ac ysgolorion Nuffield, Richard Tudor, Alexander Brewster a Geraint Powell, yn amlinellu canfyddiadau eu gwaith ymchwil a sut oedden nhw wedi eu hintegreiddio i’w busnesau.

Cafwyd cyflwyniadau gan swyddogion technegol Cyswllt Ffermio, Lisa Roberts, Rhys Davies, Gethin Prys Davies, Imogen Ward, Catherine Price, Geraint Jones a Dr Delana Davies.

Dywedodd Teleri Fielden, ysgolor Llyndy Isaf, ac un o fynychwyr y gynhadledd: “Rydym ni wedi clywed gan siaradwyr ysbrydoledig iawn. Mae heddiw wedi rhoi cyfle i bob un ohonom gymryd cam yn ôl ac edrych ar bethau o safbwynt gwahanol. Mae’n rhy hawdd o lawer i gael eich llethu gan ansicrwydd.’’