Join Pasture for Life on the 3rd and 4th of February, visiting one dairy and two beef and sheep farms who focus on productivity from forage

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Welsh below

Day 1 (03/02/26) -We will meet at Rhiwgriafol near Machynlleth for a cold buffet lunch, before 1st generation tenant farmer Rhidian Glyn will give us a brief introduction to his enterprise and a farm tour – which consists of a spring calving herd of 260 Kiwi Cross dairy cows and a flock of 350 Welsh Improved, performance recorded ewes.

Rhidian and Elen started farming in Rhiwgriafol in 2014. Then, they contract reared 30 dairy heifers and bought 880 ewes off the landlord. Since, they have sold some of their ewes and become new entrant dairy farmers, milking their first cow at Rhiwgriafol in March 2023.

Afterwards we will travel north to Betws Y Coed, where there is plenty of accomodation available and dinner will be held at the Royal Oak for those who wish to join.

Day 2 (04/02/26)- In the morning, we will visit Sian and Llion Jones who farm Sian’s family farm Moelogan Fawr, since 2018. Before moving back to Moelogan Fawr, they were tennant farmers on a National Trust farm in Penmachno.

They have a heard of 150 Stabiliser cattle and 850 Tal Y Bont Welsh ewes.

Their main focus is to produce beef and lamb enteriley off pasture, and their goal is to breed from animals who perform well in their system. They use genetics to assist, and performance record their animals.

They also put great emphasis on soil health, biodiversity and the long term sustainability of the farm – reducing their needs for inputs.

In the afternoon we will travel to meet farmer Gwion Owen from Hendre Arddwyfaen, where we will have lunch. Gwion farms 1200 acres across four farms in the area, has a herd of over 400 Stabiliser cattle of which 150 are outwintered and just over 2000 breeding ewes. His objectives have been to improve grassland utilisation and reduced winter feed requirements and costs, whilst increasing performance and efficiency of the cows and ewes. He has very strict breeding policies to ensure the best animals that are well adapted to his farm are bred from for improved productivity and efficiency.

Diwrnod 1- Mi fydden yn cyfarfod yn Rhiwgriafol, Machynlleth am ginio, lle gawn ni gyfarfod a Rhidian Glyn, tennant a ffermwr cenhedlaeth 1af fydd yn rhoi trosolwg a cefndir y fferm cyn mynd am daith o’i hamgylch. Mae Rhidian yn godro 260 o fuchod Kiwi Cross ac gydag diadell o 350 o ddefaid Cymraeg.

Mae Rhidian ac Elen wedi bod yn ffermio yn Rhiwgriafol ers 2014. Bryd hynnu, roeddynt yn magu 30 o heffrod godro ar gontract ac prynnwyd 880 o ddefaid gan y perchennog. Erbyn heddiw, maent wedi gwerthu rhywfaint o’r defaid ac wedi dechrau godro ers mis Mawrth 2023.

Wedyn mi fydden yn trafeilio i Betws Y Coed am swper i rhywun sydd eisiau ymuno, lle mae digon o lety ar gael.

Diwrnod 2 – Yn y bore, mi fydden yn ymweld ag Sian a Llion Jones sydd yn ffermio yn Moelogan Fawr, ger Llanrwst, ers 2018, sef fferm deuluol Sian. Cyn symud i Moelogan Fawr, roeddent yn denantiaid ar fferm yr Ymrioldoliaeth Genedlaethol ym Menmachno.

Eu prif ffocws yw cynhyrchu stoc bridio, cig eidion a chig oen o systemau pori sy’n seiliedig ar borfa. Mae’r stoc yn cynnwys tua 850 o ddefaid Tal Y Bont Cymraeg, a buches sugno o wartheg Stabiliser. Mae’r system wedi’i chynllunio i gynhyrchu perfformiad da o borfa yn unig neu bron yn gyfan gwbl, er gwaethaf yr amodau heriol. Eu bwriad yw magu anifeiliaid sy’n perfformio’n dda ar borfa, ond sydd hefyd yn addas i’r farchnad fasnachol.

Mae ffocws y fferm hefyd ar wella geneteg drwy ddefnyddio data fel cymorth i dethol stoc cryf, a chadw systemau syml ac effeithlon. Mae cryn bwyslais hefyd ar wella iechyd y pridd, bioamrywiaeth, a gwydnwch y fferm yn y tymor hir, yn ogystal â lleihau dibyniaeth ar fewnbynnau prynedig.

Yn y prynhawn mi fydden yn trafeilio i ymweld a Gwion Owen, Hendre Arddwyfaen, lle gawn ginio. Mae Gwion yn ffermio 1200 acer drost bedwar fferm yn yr ardal, mae ganddo oeddetu 400 o wartheg Stabiliser, gydag 150 yn cael eu geafu tu allan, a drost 2000 o ddefaid Cymraeg.

Amcan Gwion yw gwella defnydd o borfa ac lleihau costau gaeafu, drwy wella perfformiaid ei fuches a’i ddiadell, a magu gwartheg a defaid sydd wedi addasu i’r tirwedd