Business

Number of businesses supported with diversification advice

Number of individuals who completed business training

Number of joint ventures supported

Transforming agri-business across Wales. Farming Connect provides farm and forestry businesses in Wales with support, advice, guidance and training on both one-to-one and group basis. Many services are fully funded, others are subsidised by up to 80% for eligible businesses.

In this section:

Business Planning

Advice

Farming Connect one-to-one on-farm clinics

One-to-one Surgeries

Innovation and Diversification Wales 2023

Agri Academy

Try-Out Fund- bringing your idea to life

European Innovation Partnership

Knowledge Exchange Hub

Ear to the Ground Podcast

Testimonials:

“The animal health training I’ve undertaken through Farming Connect has not only helped the farm comply with both First Milk and Tesco requirements, but we now look at everything on the farm through a more targeted perspective and early detection aids more efficient herd management.”

Hannah Phillips

Narberth, Pembrokeshire

“Once farmers realise Farming Connect training will help them run their business more effectively, their very first course often sets them on a path of lifelong learning, their reticence disappears and their confidence grows.”

Julie Thomas

Managing Director of Simply the Best Training Consultancy

“Thanks to working alongside this immensely experienced family together with everything I’ve learned and will continue to learn through Farming Connect, I’m gradually building up my confidence and have a lot more farming knowledge and skills.”

Nadine Evans

Monmouthshire

“Thanks to receiving mentoring from an award-winning beekeeper, I’ve got the confidence and skills to know that I’m doing all I can for my Welsh black bees and their wellbeing.”

Sophia Pugh

Llandrindod Wells

“I turned to Farming Connect before I dug my first row, so I’m very grateful that I was able to receive expert advice before I made too many time-consuming costly mistakes.”

Sarah Evans

Watery Lane Produce

“It makes good commercial sense to take advantage of all the support and guidance available, and with Farming Connect services either fully funded or subsidised by up to 80%, I’d advise anyone else to pick up the phone to their local development officer today.”

Scott Robinson

Pembrokeshire

“The range of support services available through Farming Connect, including Animal Health and Welfare workshops, open day events and very wide range of farm-related topics I’ve studied through e-learning have given me new skills and knowledge I utilise every day.”

Kim Brickell

Farm Manager at Folly Farm, Tenby, Pembrokeshire

“I was very grateful for the experiences I got from Farming Connects’ Agri-Academy and further assistance to set-up as a new entrant and first-generation tenant on a Pembrokeshire Council Farm. And the Agrisgôp group has been valuable in accelerating our learning and networking.”

Bryn Perry

Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire

“Farming Connect gave me and my family the confidence, skills and new networks to help us create our ambitious new tourism enterprise, taking us from zero to a staggering £150,000 of turnover in our first year of operating.”

Edith Farnworth

Hay on Wye

“My local development officer has been hugely supportive, encouraging me to also apply for a mix of subsidised business-related and ICT training courses, which enabled me to not only develop my farm business, but also gave me the skills and confidence to set up and grow a successful farm, tourism and accommodation enterprise, too.”

Tracy Price

Llanidloes

“Farming Connect’s subsidised training provision, which is targeted at those working at a grass-roots level of farming, has added a huge amount to my skillset, giving me essential skills and knowledge I use every day.
Thanks to Farming Connect, I’ve now acquired a valuable set of new skills that will help in not just the day-to-day running of the business, but its future direction, too.”

Ernie Richards

Clyro, Powys

“Critically, we received a huge amount of support from Farming Connect, which not only helped me develop my skills as a business-person and sheep farmer, but also enabled us to set up our first joint venture with well-known sheep’s milk producers Nick and Wendy Holtman, who own Defaid Dolwerdd in Crymych.”

Bryn Perry

Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire

“Farming Connect training has given me the confidence to know that I’m up to date with best practice and I’m tackling everyday tasks as efficiently and safely as I can, giving me more job satisfaction and saving the business money.”

Gerallt Hughes

Caernarfon

“Every training course I’ve undertaken has been pitched at just the right level, and I’ve gained practical business and technical skills that I use every day.”

Marged Simons

Narberth

“Being a newcomer to agriculture, I found the Farming Connect business courses gave me a wealth of information, as a result, I have learned a whole range of new skills, giving me the confidence to diversify and develop a new on-farm enterprise.”

Cheryl Reeves

Bangor on Dee

“In just a few months, the training has given me a new sense of direction, with a business and financial plan I understand, a marketing and social media strategy, and a unique brand that has proved credible and appealing to buyers.”

Steve Lewis

Haverfordwest

“Being part of the Management Exchange programme enabled me to learn from other successful farm businesses, giving me the confidence to put all the theory I’ve learned into practice. Observing how other farmers were utilising nature’s own tools for better financial, social and environmental outcomes inspired me to change numerous systems at home.”

Will Sawday

Hay on Wye

“I’ve undertaken numerous training courses, including poultry health and welfare management, which have given me skills, knowledge and the confidence to run a new venture like this, and I’m putting into practice everything I learned each day.”

Beccie Williams

Llanbister, Llandrindod Wells

"Things like Farming Connect are available to give advice to people and there are programmes like Prosper from Pasture. I’ve seen a big change in farm results as a result of this programme, I’d go so far as to say as a direct result of Prosper from Pasture. "

Iorwerth Williams

Chartered accountant, Porthmadog

“Those regular online Agrisgôp Zoom meetings were a lifeline for most of us - an arm around the shoulder, giving us practical advice and moral support when we most needed it."

Janet Davies

Llanteg

"We’ve used a lot of the Farming Connect grants for soil sampling and mentoring and it's really helped our business. I encourage everyone to use those services because it will make the difference between having a successful business and a non-successful business."

Andy Matthews

Aberbran Fawr, Brecon

“With the price of wool entirely dependent on the breed of sheep, thanks to the fully-funded support and guidance which we accessed through Agrisgôp, I believe that I’m finally driving the wool enterprise forward in a more sustainable direction and the whole family is excited for the future."

Gillian Williams

Tywyn

“Most importantly, early on in the process, we applied for fully funded one-to-one mentoring advice on succession planning, and that’s really why Lydia and Ed are now the proud joint owners of a new glamping pod venture which welcomed its first visitors when lockdown lifted this month."

Linda Davies

Caerphilly

"I now have a much better understanding of how to measure and therefore improve the productivity of my business. Understanding and using accounts intelligently is critical."

Jo Clarke

Ceredigion

“I am a strong believer in benchmarking and being able to compare our growth with others is beneficial,’’ he said. “My aim is to increase our growth rate to match others.’’

Tom Evans

Pendre, Aberystwyth

"This is one of the best Farming Connect webinars we have attended. Very engaging presentation which explained the topic extremely well for a beginner like me. Sam was very knowledgeable about the subject, and suggested some very useful tips. Thank you."

Webinar attendee

Logos and Branding for Business Webinar

"I started to implement some of the grassland management and water efficiency recommendations in the business plan. The expert advice I was able to access through Farming Connect was first class and it gave me the confidence to proceed with my application for the SPG and invest in the farm’s future.”

Ifan Jones

Llanrhaedr ym Mochnant, Powys

“This is still work in progress but thanks to the business plan we were able to obtain through the Farming Connect Advisory Service and Neil’s ongoing support, we are in a much stronger position to face the future with optimism."

Jonathan Scott

Wrexham

“Farming Connect has helped us make our business more efficient, more sustainable and more profitable, and we would not be where we are today, without such amazing, ongoing support.”

Cheryl Reeves

Bangor-on-Dee

“One of the training courses taught me how to understand and use my accounts effectively,which has enabled me to identify areas where I need to make savings and increase profit levels, which could be critical to the future sustainability of the business post Brexit.”

Gwion Jones

Machynlleth

"Benchmarking get’s quite addictive once you start and I would question anyone that’s running a business who doesn’t benchmark against other businesses"

Tom Rees

Dudwell Farm, Pembrokeshire