20 March 2024
The owner of a Carmarthenshire plant nursery says utilising Farming Connect services has helped to double the size of his business and increase its workforce to 20 permanent staff.
Richard Bramley established Farmyard Nurseries at Dol Llan Road, Llandysul, after relocating there from Leicestershire with his parents, Bill and Gill, when he was in his twenties.
There they set up a dairy farm but Richard’s main interest was plants not cows so he directed his knowledge and the horticulture skills he had acquired at college to establishing a nursery business.
“Mum is a keen gardener too so we created the garden before we built the milking parlour and cubicle shed!’’ he laughs.
And so, Farmyard Nurseries was born, initially based in an old pigsty but slowly spreading across more than three acres and 50 polytunnels where Richard and his team grow everything from hellebores and carnivorous plants to hostas and primulas.
Having skilled and knowledgeable staff has been fundamental to business growth.
To help his staff develop, Richard has tapped into Farming Connect Horticulture Business support, securing skills training in everything from safe use of pesticides and integrated pest management (IPM) to operating a chainsaw, health and safety and business management.
These have been hugely beneficial, says Richard.
“I have told the staff to grab with both hands every opportunity like this that comes along, it is good for the business but above all it creates a culture of self-worth.’’
Among his team is manager, Matt Jones, who has played a key role in helping to develop the nursery.
“Farming Connect has been instrumental in Matt’s career development,’’ says Richard.
First language Welsh speaker Matt, who was brought up locally, started working at the nursery when he was a teenager and had very little horticulture experience.
Twenty years on and he is Richard’s “right hand man’’.
Farming Connect has been the “making of him’’, says Richard. “Farming Connect has been very instrumental in fostering his interest, always pushing him in the right direction not just through the skills training but the meetings and the networking opportunities.
“I have purposefully taken a step back so that Matt can take charge and he has blossomed.’’
Through Farming Connect, Richard’s business has implemented an IPM programme following support from ADAS RSK facilitated by Farming Connect.
This gave staff the knowledge and skills to implement change and control outbreaks of pests and disease.
Farming Connect networking opportunities have helped with that too, with site visits to similar types of business and talks from experts on a range of topics.
“It is really valuable for the staff to see how others are doing things,’’ says Richard.
A challenge for those businesses and his has been transitioning to peat-free growing.
Farmyard Nurseries lost many plants when it started to replace peat as a growing medium as the nutrient status of alternatives made from wood fibre, coir, wool and other products can be extremely variable.
Farming Connect arranged for horticulture consultant, David Talbot, to provide practical business support.
“He used an EC (electrical conductivity) meter to test the nutrient levels and some of them were off the scale,’’ Richard recalls.
This device helps growers ensure their plants are getting the right nutrients they need to thrive.
Richard invested in his own meter to monitor the salinity of the compost and nutrient solutions he uses; this, he says, has prevented the loss of thousands of pounds worth of plants.
The remote, rural location of Farmyard Nurseries is part of its appeal with customers travelling from miles to visit, often spending hours there, not just selecting plants for their own gardens but wandering through the farm’s beautiful woodland and grounds.
But it has also been a barrier to reaching a wider customer base and that’s why mail order has been so important to the business model.
At no-time was this more important than during the pandemic, and is again where Farming Connect services have been so useful, says Richard, with E-commerce support “revolutionising’’ the business.
“Without that support we wouldn’t still be here because during the pandemic 90% of our business had to be done through mail order.’’
Although the business already had a website it received advice on how to use it to its advantage and capitalise on it to achieve sales growth.
Richard, who is an industry representative on the Wales Horticulture Alliance Group (WHAG), urges others to make use of Farming Connect services, many of which are either fully funded or subsidised.
“Historically there was very little support around for horticulture in Wales so when it did become available, first through Tyfu Cymru and then through Farming Connect, we jumped in with both feet. It was, and still is, an amazing service.
“What’s really great is that the people who run it really listen and tailor much of what is provided to what growers actually want. That is very rare and it’s so, so valuable.’’