Fferm Rhiwaedog Farm Facts

Fferm Rhiwaedog Demonstration Farm is a 142 hectare (ha) upland farm operating as a beef and sheep farm.

Aled and Dylan are the fourth generation of the Jones family to farm the holding, which rises to 1,000 feet at its highest point.

The family rents a further 121ha on a nearby holding, land which rises to 1400 feet

The cattle herd consists of 70 Welsh Black suckler cows sired to Charolais or Welsh Black stock bulls; for the heifers, a Saler bull is used

Offspring from the herd are sold as 18-month-old stores at livestock markets

The flock of 1500 ewes is split into three groups - Texel x Mules and Aberfields, Cheviot x Welsh ewes and Welsh ewes

The Texel x Mules and Aberfields are tupped to a Texel, the Cheviot x Welsh ewes to an Aberfield and a Bluefaced Leicester and the Welsh ewes to a Welsh and a Cheviot

Scanning percentage for the Texel x Mules and Aberfields averages 180%, the Cheviot x Welsh ewes 170% and the Welsh ewes 150%

An average rearing percentage of 1.5/ewe is achieved across the flock

Most of the crossbreds lamb inside from the end of February and the Welsh ewes outside in April.

Eighty per cent of lambs are sold through the live trade

One cut of silage is made - 56 hectares at the end of June - and a second cut is taken in some of the fields. All silage is made into big bales.

Diversifications

A self-catering holiday cottage provides additional income

A biomass boiler generates heat for three dwellings on the farm