Rhiwgriafol Farm Facts

Host Farmers

• Rhiwgriafol Demonstration Farm is run by Rhidian Glyn in partnership with his wife, Elen Glyn.
• Both partners currently work full-time off the farm.
• The farm business has been gradually built up over eight years, having started with seven acres and 15 ewes.

Land

• Rhiwgriafol is a 530-acre hill farm, taken on in 2014 on a ten-year Farm Business Tenancy.
• The land comprises 290 acres of unimproved hill land and 230 acres of improved grassland.
• There is also 15 acres of woodland on the farm.

Livestock

Sheep

• The flock comprises 900 improved Welsh ewes and 200 replacement ewe lambs.
• 600 ewes have been put to a Welsh ram and 300 put to a New Zealand Suffolk.
• In 2016, scanning results were 130%, with the aim of rearing 120%.
• Twins are lambed indoors from mid-March and fed grass silage, oats and concentrates.
• Singles are lambed outdoors and fed oats and concentrates through a three in one feeder.
• Lambs are finished off grass, rape and turnips and sold through local livestock markets.
• Inputs are kept to a minimum.

Dairy

• Rhidian contract reared 31 dairy heifers last year, averaging 0.7kg/day in daily liveweight gains.
• This year the farm will hope to rear 50 heifers on contract.
• Heifers are reared on a strip grazing system and silage only diet during the winter when they are housed for three months.

Cropping

• 25 acres cut for big bale silage.
• Plan to reseed 20 acres into grass and rape.