Natalie Chappelle is the recently appointed Farming Connect development officer for Radnorshire.
Natalie grew up on a Breconshire farm which had been in her family for three generations and where she still helps out with the flock of mainly Texel cross sheep and a small number of beef store cattle bred using continental genetics.
After graduating in rural enterprise and land management from Harper Adams University and two trips to New Zealand where she combined agricultural work experience with travelling, she returned home to work for a company specialising in mineral trace elements and bolus nutrition which she combined with weekend farm duties.
Today, young mum Natalie and her husband farm 100 acres near Glasbury where they are building up a flock of pedigree Berrichon ‘hardy, easy lambing, easy care’ sheep which they hope to use in a composite breeding programme and show this summer.
“I want to encourage farmers and foresters in my area to make use of the wide range of Farming Connect services, events and training available to them.
“There is so much they can tap into ranging from soil sampling to ‘Measure to Manage’, Farming Connects benchmarking programme, all designed to help them achieve their potential as successful and resilient businesses,” said Natalie.
Natalie will be involved in the Farming Connect demonstration network which she says provides an excellent opportunity for farmers to learn new ways of working and see best practice at first hand.
“I’ll also be working with a number of topic-led discussion groups, which provide a perfect forum for farmers to explore new ideas and meet other farmers,” said Natalie.
To contact Natalie and find out more about how Farming Connect can benefit you and your business, visit www.wales.gov/farmingconnect or call Natalie on 07985 379 928