Calling all pig keepers, beekeepers and other niche smallholders – visit Farming Connect at this year’s RWAS Countryside & Smallholder Festival/Galw ar bob ffermwr moch, gwenynwr a thyddynwyr arbenigol eraill – i ymweld â Chyswllt Ffermio yng Ngŵyl Tyddyn a Chefn Gwlad Sioe Frenhinol Cymru

If you are a pig keeper, beekeeper, horticulturalist or run any other niche smallholding enterprise, you should visit Farming Connect at this year’s RWAS Countryside & Smallholder Festival (Llanelwedd, May 18&19).

Whether you are well established or just starting out, Farming Connect can provide you with the right level of support, guidance and training to help you develop your enterprise, so make sure you visit them at this year’s spring festival.

Farming Connect will be hosting a series of half-hour drop in sessions at Speaker’s Corner in the South Glamorgan Hall throughout the two-day festival on topics ranging from soil health to sheep parasites and from share-farming to advice to ‘newbie’ smallholders who want tips on earning a livelihood from ten acres!

Pig keepers will want to head straight to the Pig Section. Farming Connect, in collaboration with Hybu Cig Cymru and Menter Moch Cymru (an initiative funded by the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-20) has invited four highly regarded pig experts to give a series of daily presentations and practical demonstrations.

Targeted at a wide spectrum of pig keepers from those new to the sector to more experienced stock keepers, this is your chance to find out what to look out for when purchasing weaners; how to keep your pigs healthy; land management and marketing. Each day an award-winning pig producer will share their personal experiences of starting out and how they’ve got to where they are today.

Find out how pork-producers Ruth and Andrew Davies from Cwm Farm Charcuterie near Pontardawe, who bought their smallholding in 2010, and who began with just two in-pig gilts and now have a growing herd of Saddleback and Old Gloucestershire Spot pigs, are renowned for their award-winning range of spicy salami and cured meats. Kyle Holford, a Great Taste Winner from Forest Coalpit Farm in the Brecon Beacons, who sells his speciality pork from cross-bred Duroc and Large Black pigs directly to top London chefs and butchers, will also be sharing his top tips on successful pig rearing.

Farming Connect’s skills application window is open until 5pm on 28 June, so if you are interested in undertaking training to help improve your skills and knowledge, call in to the Lantra Building (Avenue K) to find out what you can learn to make your business more sustainable and productive.

Business improvement and technical training is subsidised by up to 80% and machinery and equipment-related training is subsidised by up to 40%.  In addition, new training on animal health and welfare, IT skills and all e-Learning modules are fully funded.

Lantra will also be promoting important messages on behalf of the Wales Farm Safety Partnership. Visitors will be encouraged to pick up free information leaflets including “working together to make farming safer – top tips on farm safety” and HSEs “What a good farm looks like”, and also encouraged to apply for farm safety-related training.

With a team of Farming Connect staff on hand at each of the three locations to promote all the elements of the Farming Connect programme, it’s too good an opportunity to miss – pop in and talk to them, find out how you can tap into all the support and services available – and if you’re not already registered, or completed your Personal Development Plan – which could unlock the key to your future success – they’ll sort that out too!

In addition to Farming Connect staff members from the Farm Liaison Team will also be on hand to provide free advice on Welsh Government policies and grants.

Farming Connect, which is delivered by Menter a Busnes and Lantra Wales, is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Nb for times/locations and more information on speakers, topics and training opportunities throughout the two-day festival, visit www.gov.wales/farmingconnect or call the Farming Connect Service Centre on 08456 000 813.

Galw ar bob ffermwr moch, gwenynwr a thyddynwyr arbenigol eraill – i ymweld â Chyswllt Ffermio yng Ngŵyl Tyddyn a Chefn Gwlad Sioe Frenhinol Cymru

Os ydych yn ffermwr moch, yn wenynwr, neu’n dyddynwr sy’n rhedeg menter arddwriaethol neu unrhyw fenter arbenigol arall ar dyddyn, dylech ymweld â Cyswllt Ffermio yng Ngŵyl Tyddyn a Chefn Gwlad Sioe Frenhinol Cymru (Llanelwedd, May 18 ac 19).

Os ydych wedi hen sefydlu neu’n dechrau arni, gall Cyswllt Ffermio gynnig y lefel briodol o gymorth, cyfarwyddyd a hyfforddiant i’ch helpu i ddatblygu eich menter, felly gwnewch yn siŵr eich bod yn ymweld â nhw yn yr ŵyl eleni.

Bydd Cyswllt Ffermio’n cynnal cyfres o sesiynau galw heibio am hanner awr yng Nghornel y Siaradwr yn Neuadd De Morgannwg drwy gydol yr ŵyl ddeuddydd ar bynciau’n amrywio o iechyd y pridd i barasitiaid mewn defaid ac o ffermio cyfran i gyngor i dyddynwyr ‘newydd’ sydd eisiau cyngor ynglŷn ag ennill bywoliaeth ar ddeg erw!

Bydd ffermwyr moch yn anelu’n syth am yr Adran Foch. Mae Cyswllt Ffermio, ar y cyd â Hybu Cig Cymru a Menter Moch Cymru (cynllun sy’n cael ei ariannu gan Gymunedau Gwledig Llywodraeth Cymru – Rhaglen Datblygu Gwledig 2014-2020) wedi gwahodd pedwar o arbenigwyr uchel eu parch i roi cyfres o gyflwyniadau bob dydd ac arddangosiadau ymarferol.

Targedir sbectrwm eang o ffermwyr moch o’r rhai sy’n newydd yn y sector i rai mwy profiadol, dyma eich cyfle i ddarganfod beth i chwilio amdano wrth brynu perchyll; sut i gadw eich moch yn iach; rheolaeth tir a marchnata. Bob dydd bydd cynhyrchwyr moch sydd wedi ennill gwobrau’n rhannu eu profiadau personol wrth ddechrau arni a sut maent wedi datblygu.

Cewch hanes Ruth ac Andrew Davies, cynhyrchwyr porc o Gwm Farm Charcuterie ger Pontardawe, a brynodd eu tyddyn yn 2010, gan ddechrau gyda dim ond dwy hesbinwch feichiog ond sydd bellach yn cadw cenfaint o foch Saddleback a Gloucestershire Old Spot. Maent yn enwog am eu cynnyrch arobryn – salami sbeislyd a chigoedd wedi’u halltu. Hefyd bydd Kyle Holford, enillydd gwobr Great Taste Fferm Forest Coalpit ym Mannau Brycheiniog, sy’n gwerthu ei borc arbenigol o Foch Du Mawr a Dwroc wedi’u croesi, i brif gogyddion a chigyddion Llundain, yn rhannu ei gynghorion ynglŷn â magu moch yn llwyddiannus.

Mae’r ffenestr ymgeisio ar gyfer hyfforddiant Sgiliau a Hyfforddiant Cyswllt Ffermio ar agor tan 5pm ar 28 Mehefin, felly os oes gennych ddiddordeb mewn cael hyfforddiant i helpu i wella’ch sgiliau a’ch gwybodaeth, galwch heibio i Adeilad Lantra (Rhodfa K) i weld beth allwch chi ei ddysgu i wneud eich busnes yn fwy cynaliadwy a chynhyrchiol.

Mae cymhorthdal o hyd at 80% ar gael ar gyfer hyfforddiant gwella busnes a hyfforddiant technegol, ac mae cymhorthdal o hyd at 40% ar gael ar gyfer hyfforddiant yn ymwneud â pheiriannau ac offer. Hefyd, mae hyfforddiant newydd ar iechyd a lles anifeiliaid, sgiliau TG a’r holl fodiwlau e-ddysgu wedi’u hariannu’n llawn.

Bydd Lantra hefyd yn hybu negeseuon pwysig ar ran Partneriaeth Diogelwch Fferm Cymru. Bydd ymwelwyr yn cael eu hannog i gymryd taflenni gwybodaeth am ddim yn cynnwys ‘Gweithio gyda’n gilydd i wneud ffermio’n fwy diogel – cynghorion ynglŷn â diogelwch fferm’ a ‘Sut olwg sydd ar fferm dda’ gan yr Awdurdod Gweithredol Iechyd a Diogelwch, a chânt eu hannog hefyd i wneud cais am hyfforddiant yn ymwneud â diogelwch fferm.

Gyda thîm o staff Cyswllt Ffermio wrth law ym mhob un o’r tri lleoliad i hybu holl elfennau rhaglen Cyswllt Ffermio, mae’n gyfle rhy dda i’w fethu – galwch heibio i gael gair, cewch wybod sut i fanteisio ar yr holl gymorth a gwasanaethau sydd ar gael – ac os nad ydych wedi cofrestru’n barod, neu wedi cwblhau eich Cynllun Datblygu Personol – a allai ddatgloi’r allwedd i lwyddiant yn y dyfodol – byddan nhw’n sicrhau hynny hefyd!

Yn ogystal â staff Cyswllt Ffermio, bydd aelodau o Dîm Cysylltwyr Fferm hefyd ar gael i gynnig cyngor am ddim ar bolisïau a grantiau Llywodraeth Cymru.

Caiff Cyswllt Ffermio, sy’n cael ei ddarparu gan Fenter a Busnes a Lantra Cymru, ei ariannu gan Lywodraeth Cymru a Chronfa Amaethyddol Ewrop ar gyfer Datblygu Gwledig.

I gael amseroedd/lleoliadau a mwy o wybodaeth am siaradwyr, pynciau a chyfleoedd hyfforddi drwy gydol yr ŵyl ddeuddydd, ewch i https://businesswales.gov.wales/farmingconnect/cy neu ffoniwch Ganolfan Wasanaeth Cyswllt Ffermio ar 08456 000 813.