Eight new Fellows from Wales of Royal Agricultural Societies
Eight Associates of the Royal Agricultural Societies have been made Fellows by the Council for Awards of the Royal Agricultural Societies for their continuing contribution to farming or ancillary industries. A farmer from Anglesey, Richard Lloyd of Ty Mawr, Valley, has also been made an Associate.
One of the new Fellows is Mrs Edna Davies of Redlands Farm, Hasguard, Pembrokeshire, a school teacher who has been a committed supporter for many years of young people living in rural communities. Since joining the YFC at the age of 13 and participating in the different activities and competitions it offered, she has become involved in various other youth organisations and has put her skills and experience into practice to provide training, advice and encouragement for the benefit of young people. She is headmistress of Narberth C P school which has 250 pupils and at the 2010 Pembrokeshire County Show some of them swept the board as winners of the three categories of a recently launched FUW competition based on farming.
The other new Fellows are:
Robert James of Farthings Hook Farm, Henry’s Moat, Clarbeston Road, Haverfordwest, a sixth-generation dairy farmer and principal of the 300 acre family farm at Barratts Hill, Milford Haven, an entirely organic enterprise. He also farms 550 acres at Farthings Hook which is currently being completely modernised. He is a past president of Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society and president of Llysyfran YFC.
Euryn Jones of Aberystwyth, was awarded an Associateship in 2005 for his contribution to agricultural education, banking and broadcasting. A former lecturer in farm management at the Welsh Agricultural College he was appointed Regional Agricultural Specialist in Wales for Barclays Bank. He is a well informed commentator on a wide range of farming and agricultural business topics whose views are highly regarded by the farming industry in Wales and elsewhere.
Richard Jones of Garth, The Terrace, Corwen, became an Associate five years ago for his services to agriculture and the rural community. He has been an auctioneer and land agent with Farmers Marts (R.G. Jones) Ltd for nearly 40 years, successfully developing thriving markets at Dolgellau, Bala and Corwen. As secretary of the Merioneth Welsh Mountain Sheep Society he contributed to the improvement of the breed through a group breeding scheme and has promoted the breed extensively in Devon and Cornwall and the North of England.
Since his award of Associateship in 2005, Edward Owen has continued to farm at Beech Farm, Bishops Castle, a 500 acre cattle and sheep enterprise. A member of the Owen family of Garthgwynion Estate, Machynlleth, he read agriculture at university and also trained as a chartered surveyor. He has worked tirelessly for the NFU for a number of years, is a member of the Welsh Black Cattle Society, a member of the board of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society and chairman of the society’s Investments Committee. He is also chairman of the RWAS Shropshire Advisory Committee and was awarded Honorary Life Vice Presidency of the RWAS at the 2010 Royal Welsh Show for his services to the society.
Gareth Roberts of Tal y Bryn, Llanefydd, Denbigh, was awarded an Associateship in 2005 for the innovative development and diversification of his family farm into the multi-million pound Llaeth y Llan dairy produce enterprise it is today. Many of the large supermarkets stock Llaeth y Llan products nationwide and the business is an inspiration to many small companies across Wales. It employs 25 people and produces around 750 tonnes of yoghurt a year. The company has won a string of awards for its products. Gareth and his wife, Falmai, also won the 2010
NFU Cymru/NatWest Rural Community Champion Award for their contribution to the local community. He has been a local community councillor for several years and serves as a Council and Board member of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.
Patrick Tantrum of Howey, Powys, who was made an Associate in 2005, is a Silver Medallist of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, of which he is also an Honorary Life Vice President, awards he received for his outstanding contribution to the Royal Welsh Show, the Winter Fair and the Smallholder and Garden Festival. He received the John Gittins Memorial Award in 2001 for his services to the Welsh sheep industry. He is Life Vice President of the Welsh Half Bred and Welsh Mule Sheep Societies and a past president of the Beulah Speckled Faced Sheep Society. A former chairman of NSA Wales he is also a past president of Wales Young Farmers Clubs.
William Williams of Ynys Isaf, Brynteg, Anglesey, was awarded Associateship in 2005 for his submission on the role of groups and societies in agriculture. He was then leader of the North Wales Agriculture Consultancy team with ADAS Wales and following his retirement he has continued to work part-time for ADAS in North Wales. His other area of expertise is the environment and with parts of North Wales designated as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) he advises many farmers on how to farm effectively and efficiently while still caring for the environment. He is past president of Anglesey Show and has recently been appointed as Director of the society.
Richard Lloyd, the new Associate of the Royal Agricultural Societies, returned home to farm in Anglesey in 1969 after two years working in New Zealand. Since then he has expanded and developed his farming enterprise and has played a prominent role in the milk industry serving on various committees of the former Milk Marketing Board and of the NFU. When the industry was deregulated in 1994 he was elected to the board of the Northern Milk Partnership serving for 16 years representing North Wales, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire. He is a former general Commissioner of Income Tax and served for three years on the Secretary of State for Wales Agricultural Advisory Committee. In 1988 the Secretary of State also appointed him to the advisory panel of Trawscoed Experimental Husbandry Farm for three years. He is a former chairman of the RWAS Anglesey Advisory Committee and has judged and shown cattle and sheep at the Royal Welsh Show, twice exhibiting one of the pair to win the coveted FitzHugh championship for dairy cattle.
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