Access all areas: farm with a view
WYN CAN LIVE WITH WALKERS – TO A POINT
WYN Williams has learned to farm in harmony with walkers. He has little choice: three miles of public footpaths cross his land – including 3,370 metres of the Anglesey Coastal Path – and each year thousands of people traipse across his 440 acres.
So it’s hardly surprising he’s concerned about Welsh Government proposals to increase public access further – perhaps even converting footpaths to allow cyclists and horse riders.
“Are they expecting farmers or the local authority to maintain these?” he said.
“Councils can’t even afford to keep their public toilets open, let alone find the money for this!”
Wyn, who farms with wife Gwen, has shaped the farm system at Penrhyn, Llanfwrog, around public access.
In their breeding programmes they have even prioritised docility in their 200-cow suckler herd, mainly Limousin crosses.
“Anything that plays up is sold,” he said.
“We have too many walkers, visitors and residents all the year round to take a chance with any animal.”
For this reason and others, Wyn feels farmers should be rewarded financially for allowing the public to cross their land.
“There are certain times of the year, when the cows have calves at foot, or we want to turn the bulls in with the cows, that we can’t graze the fields that have footpaths running through them.
“There needs to be some recognition of that financial loss.”
Whatever subsidy system is in place, it should not compel farm- ers to provide access, he believes.
“A lot of land has been bought and paid for through sheer hard work,” he said.
“If a farmer doesn’t want the public on his or her land, then they should not be forced to.”
Wyn is the fourth generation to farm at Penrhyn.
Until the 1980s, there was a dairy herd at the farm.
But, with a £250,000 investment needed to upgrade the parlour, a decision was made to sell the herd and quota.
With the money Wyn bought 60 acres and replaced his 120 dairy cows with sucklers.
“My heart was always in beef and sheep,” he admitted. At 440 acres and incorporating 60 acres of cereals, Wyn under-stocks the farm as it is prone to burning off during dry spells.
Around 170 stores a year are sold at 12-18 months at 370kg-420kg. Most go as private sales direct from the farm but around 40 are sold through the ring.
Heifers from milkier cows are retained as replacements as Wyn attempts to reverse the effects of previous breeding decisions.
Aberdeen Angus, Black Limousins or Shorthorns are being considered as future stock bulls to return milkiness to the herd.
All bulling heifers and 25 cows are AI-ed to enable bulls with high maternal bloodlines to be used.
A familiar face on the show circuit, Wyn has enjoyed considerable success at events such as the Royal Welsh Winter Fair: last year he secured the reserve Baby Beef heifer title at Llanelwedd.
Ewe numbers currently stand at 350 but there are plans to increase the flock size to 440 in the next couple of years now that the family has taken on extra land.
The Suffolk x Mule and Texel x Mule ewes, sired to a Texel or Texel x Beltex tup, lamb from February 1.
Lambs are finished off on grass and are sold either live at Gaerwen or deadweight to Woodheads.
With grant funding, a new stock-handling system is being installed on the farm’s perimeter.
“It means that, if we need to handle livestock, we don’t need to herd them all the way home – it will save a lot of time,” said Wyn, father to three daughters, Ffion, Mari and Lowri.
Lambing is a big draw for the visitors who holiday at Penrhyn’s four cottages, converted from farm buildings four years ago.
“Most of the school holidays are booked up for the next two years,” said Wyn.
“The February half-term is very popular because of lambing and there is a lot of interest when the cows are calving. We once had a vet performing a caesarean with 15 people watching!”
A version of this article originally appeared in NFU Cymru’s Farming Wales magazine.