John Davies: Sunny days kick-started our positivity

Spring barley yielded well and we rolled and treated what was left with propcorn. Fields were subsoiled and ploughed, with most being reseeded with a grass ley, apart from two sown with Gladiator winter wheat.

September is sheep trading month and we’d decided to keep our Mule ewe lambs and sell a couple of pens of yearlings. These have averaged £110/head. We’ve bought a couple of Beulah Speckle tups. Anything I fancied was a good trade! We also went to the NSA ram sale in Builth Wells – there was a fantastic standard but we didn’t buy.

The cattle trade was just back a bit from the previous month. Early morning loading put us third in the queue and we sold 10 steers in Brecon Market to average £1,044. We housed and treated all the finishing heifers.

I went to an Assembly-organised open day regarding EID of sheep. The systems still leave a lot to be desired, with one computer programme crashing on the small number being demonstrated, leaving farmers frustrated and angry.

We’ve decided to hold on for now with the lambs as export trade should be strong for the autumn. We didn’t fix our SFP, but as it turns out, the levels are about the same, but one euro for one pound would be good!

Our Pentwyn Holiday Cottages have been busy through September. With Saturdays as the change-over day, it makes for a busy weekend, because come Sunday mornings, the recently started rugby season sees me coaching Brecon under nines.

I’m also President of Brecknock YFC and have a couple of months left. We hosted a duck race and a good time was had by all. We are just putting the finishing touches to the National Assembly Young Entrants Scheme.

While a £15,000 grant won’t buy a farm, with the mentoring and training, it can be an excellent start. Most importantly, young farmers know they are needed and wanted here in Wales.Ϟa

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