Farmers and foresters wanting to reduce costs and improve on-farm efficiency are urged to visit Farming Connect at this year’s Royal Welsh Spring Festival, which will take place at the Llanelwedd showground on 21/22 May.
Eirwen Williams, director of rural programmes with Menter a Busnes, which delivers the Farming Connect service, is expecting a busy time at this popular event, which this year will include a series of practical demonstrations targeted at pig-keepers, a joint initiative between Farming Connect and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.
“There is so much more on offer from the new Farming Connect programme. Our staff will be encouraging people to find out what’s available so that they can learn more about developing not only their own skills, through our lifelong learning and development programme and completing online Personal Development Plans (PDPs) which will help them plan for the future and achieve personal goals but also the importance of tapping into strategic business advice which can help them reach their business goals too.
“We are looking forward to seeing many new faces this year, now that eligibility has been widened to include more farmers and foresters with smaller holdings, new categories of self-employed contractors and food businesses,” said Mrs. Williams.
“We’ll have staff on hand to explain how the enhanced programme could transform the way businesses are run. Our aim will be to ensure that farmers and foresters engage with us through our local development officer team, that they keep up to date with what we’re up to via our new website and most importantly, to help them take full advantage of the services and events now on offer,” she added.
Held in the pig section, the daily pig demonstrations will be conducted by renowned vet and pig specialist Bob Stevenson.
“There will be guidance for beginners and experts alike, covering all areas of pig husbandry, ranging from the physical handling of pigs, health and welfare and breeding issues through to biosecurity and the responsible use of medicines,” said Mrs. Williams.
During the two-day event, the British Pig Association will also be hosting talks on the benefits of pedigree pig breeding.
Farming Connect will also have a presence in the smallholders and horticulture sections. They will be reinforcing the message that in order to benefit from all the services available within the new Farming Connect programme, all those individuals registered under the previous programme need to re-register if they haven’t already done so. You can register via our website by completing the online registration form.
