Gwobr Sioe Frenhinol i ffermwr o ogledd Cymru
The Royal Welsh Agricultural society has long been encouraging farmers to improve the functionality and appearance of buildings in the countryside and it has gone a step further by choosing the theme “Going green – towards carbon neutral” for its 2008 Farm Buildings & Works competition. Confined to a different part of Wales each year, it was open this time to farms located in Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham, the feature county at the four-day Royal Welsh Show at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, from July 21 – 24.
The judges, were briefed to select an agricultural or rural business which had renovated an existing building or erected a new one where due regard had been given to the complexities of the environment and the welfare of its occupants.
The entries were all farms in the livestock sector and the judges said they demonstrated good quality and, above all, confidence to invest significant capital in the future of agriculture in the Clwyd area of North Wales.
After careful consideration they gave the 2008 award to Iwan Rhodri Wynne who, they said, had carefully researched what had been required to improve and expand the buildings for a high-yielding dairy herd on his farm Plas Meifod, Henllan, Denbighshire. His main objective was to give priority to the welfare of the cows and those who work with them. The re-circulation of water was another premier requirement as well as careful attention to slurry and dirty water management.
Construction work was carried out with local and own labour and the development within a new steel-framed building comprised a 24:24 herringbone milking parlour, a dairy, covered collecting yard for 200 cows, new cattle handling and treatment facilities, loose-boxes, a wash-house, chemical store and office. The complex had been planned and built to allow for the future expansion of the herd.
The winner will be presented with the Peniarth Estate Silver Trowel given by the late Col. John Williams-Wynne, a former chairman of the RWAS Council, and a certificate, at the Royal Welsh Show.