Hannah and Tegid Williams run Cefn Gwyn Farm, an 81ha dairy farm in Chwilog, Pwllheli
Two Welsh farms have been selected to join AHDB’s strategic dairy farm programme. With a mix of systems and focus areas, they add diversity to the network and a range of peer-to-peer insights. British Dairying pays them a visit.
Tegid and Hannah Williams run Cefn Gwyn Farm, an 81ha dairy farm in Chwilog, Pwllheli. The dairy operation comprises 300 crossbred cows, milked through a 24:48 herringbone parlour.
Averaging 5,000 litres/cow, per year, this farm achieves 3.88% protein and 5.21% butterfat. The family’s main areas of interest include genetics, soils, maximising forage, and increasing farm profitability. Tegid, his brother, and parents started farming Cefn Gwyn around 15 years ago, as a run-off block for youngstock and silage, but before this Hannah’s grandparents farmed there. In 2020 the couple were offered more land and made the decision to convert the farm into a dairy farm.
“I’m willing to change if I can get any extra efficiency and profitability.”
Tegid explains: “Short term, we hope to reduce input costs. We’re in the middle of doing a carbon audit, and we hope the AHDB’s strategic dairy farm programme can give us access to consultants and steering groups to help guide us towards improving farm efficiency and profitability. I don’t think there’s anything I’m not willing to change if I can get any extra efficiency and profitability from it.”
Cefn Gwyn is also a part of AHDB’s environmental baselining pilot, meaning they will be providing unique data and insights, along with other farms across the UK, to drive change and build a national dataset for accurate and credible environmental reporting. “I joined the baselining project because we have varying land types and differing amounts of woodland and ponds – I wanted a baseline really,” says Tegid.
In 2020 the couple were offered more land so converted to dairy farming
Located in Newcastle Emlyn, Ceredigion, Sychpant Farm is home to Marcus Ferraro and his family. The farm comprises 60ha of owned land, and 122ha rented on an away block.
The 300-head ProCross herd averages 6,500 litres/cow, at 3.65% protein and 4.52% butterfat, milking in a 16:32 herringbone parlour.
Family farm
Sychpant has always been a family dairy farm, with Marcus’ grandfather purchasing it in 1973. Originally Ayr British Friesians were milked, but this was put to a stop in 2000, when Marcus was working away in Pembrokeshire.
In 2013, Marcus came back to the farm with his wife Vicki. Not only did the couple renovate properties when they returned home, they invested in infrastructure to convert the farm back into working order, with improved cow and calf housing.
After the conversion, they had a flying herd to increase cost-efficiency, but more recently they have started breeding within the herd, aiming to reduce rates of infections and Johne’s.
“By joining the programme, we are hoping to get some expert advice and improve our fertility and herd health,” says Marcus. “We’ve struggled to get to where we are, and worked very hard to get to this stage. I think letting people come and see what we have done and get ideas for their own farms is really important.”
Sychpant Farm has always been a family dairy farm, purchased in 1973
