Young Welsh couple win Rumenco’s Porta-Yards mobile sheep handling system giveaway

Young farmers and newlyweds Luke and Beth Watts of Pembrokeshire are the winners of Rumenco’s prize draw for a 3.0m Porta-Yards mobile sheep handling system from Wise Agriculture.

Coming from agricultural backgrounds, both Luke and Beth have chosen agricultural careers with the end goal of one day farming full-time for themselves. As they work towards this long-term dream, a lot of graft is involved for the couple to make this happen. While both work full-time jobs, they also run their own flock of 100 pedigree Llanwenog sheep and Beltex cross Texel ewes. The Watts market their lamb direct to consumers through meat boxes and are also in partnership with a family-owned catering trailer where lamb is sold under the Made at Moithan brand.

“Winning the Porta-Yards in the Rumenco draw has been a game-changer for us,” says Beth. “We didn’t have the flock size or resources to justify investing in a high-quality mobile sheep system. This has improved our sheep handling so much and is going to make it possible for us to scale more efficiently when the time comes.”

With the couple’s nutritional programme focused on making the most of available forage, spring and summer farm work is primarily made up of moving electric fences and managing grass rotations in the mornings and evenings.

“Time is very tight for us. The yard is going to make things so much more efficient as we graze this year, allowing us to pull fat lambs directly off grass the morning they need to go to market without needing to bring them into the yard to sort out,” adds Luke.

Aside from their developing agricultural careers and farming work, the couple is also highly involved in the farming community. Both are officeholders for the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society, with Luke serving as an ambassador and Beth as a Pembrokeshire Agricultural Show governor. Beth is also involved with Cows on Tour, a Welsh farming organisation that hosts UK primary schools on farms and takes livestock and machinery to schools to teach children about farming and where their food comes from.

In January this year, Luke and Beth were married after meeting at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair in 2019.

According to Amy Wright, product manager for Rumenco, the company is excited the prize draw went to a young couple working towards building their futures in sheep farming.

“We are excited the Porta-Yards mobile sheep handling system has gone to such a deserving couple who are truly going to benefit from having a piece of kit like this given to them. Our nutritional supplements are developed to give both flocks and farming businesses longevity in the future – it is great to see Rumenco further support young farmers who will be having a generational impact on the industry,” she concludes.