Welsh Dairy Show
THE premier business show for dairy farms in Wales will take place at the Carmarthen Showground on October 30. This is the 23rd year for the very successful Welsh Dairy Show.
It has grown in size and stature and this year is attracting better than ever livestock as well as demonstrating the latest equipment used by the dairy industry in Wales.
Over a thousand farmers who between them milk 250,000 cows in Wales will attend this business event in Carmarthen Showground.
The best pedigree livestock has been entered and will be in the superb condition, clipped and shining in the show ring. They will compete for top honours and will be judged by the most experienced dairy experts drawn from the whole United Kingdom. The dairy show chairman, Mr Colin Evans said;
“More pedigree cows than ever have been entered this year of all breeds and we expect the competition between rival exhibitors to be fierce, making for an exciting day in the show ring”.
Half a mile of trade stands will fill the business section of the show. They will demonstrate the very latest equipment and techniques available to dairy farmers. Companies have booked from far afield including Ireland, France, and New Zealand, and of course throughout the UK. Farmers will see not only the stateof-the-art equipment but also the latest management techniques which improve productivity and so increase milk quality and profitability.
As well as the latest equipment there will be an emphasis on improving the health of dairy cows and calves, through better veterinary practices and techniques such as semen sexing. Investment is of course needed to fund improvements and the financial sector will offer the best deals to the dairy sector for investment in land machinery, buildings, electronics, and robotics, as well of course in high yielding cows.
The largest stand will be occupied by the Welsh Assembly demonstrating the importance the Government places on the Welsh dairy sector. And the Minister for Energy Planning and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths AM, will open the show and be there to talk directly to farmers throughout the morning.
This show provides an opportunity for farmers to meet faceto-face the people they correspond with in the Ministry.
For any large-scale dairy farmer, the Welsh dairy show is an event not to be missed. Not only do farmers meet all their colleagues and friends but they pick up the latest ideas and the newest techniques which will help them improve their animal husbandry in the face of unpredictable weather conditions. Farmers have to mitigate the effects of droughts on the one hand to floods on the other, conditions which are becoming more common adding to the problems of successfully producing quality milk in West Wales.