After two months and a memorable final, Fferm Ffactor winners named
AFTER eight weeks of hard competition, a team made up of ex-competitors have been named the 2015 Fferm Ffactor champions.
After attracting farmers from across Wales to participate in Fferm Factor: Brwydr y Ffermwyr on S4C, this year the ex-contestants team beat rivals, Gareth’s Team from Anglesey, in a memorable final.
The winning team was made up of former contestants of the popular agricultural competition Rhodri Jones from Llanuwchllyn, Rhys Williams from Tywyn near Aberdovey and Heilin Thomas from Llandysul, with two of them former semi-finalists in previous years.
The winners were announced by Farm Factor presenter Ifan Jones Evans at a special ceremony in front of hundreds of people, that included family and friends of the teams, at the Winter Fair in Builth Wells.
Winning team captain Mr Jones, 37, who runs a beef and sheep farm in Llanuwchllyn, took part in the first series back in 2009. He’s delighted that his team came up on top.
He said: “It couldn’t be anything but a very special feeling. We had to win this time round. It’s proved that we were not quite as bad as people thought and nobody has lost twice on Farm Factor.”
Mr Williams, 36, who manages a 700-acre beef and sheep farm at Tywyn, was a semi-finalist in the 2013 series. But that didn’t calm the nerves before the final.
He said: “I was nervous all day before we found out who had won – but thankfully it went the right way for us.
“Gareth team were very good but we clicked as a team and as the three of us have competed before, none of us wanted to lose.”
Mr Thomas, 28, reached the semifinal in 2011. He works on his family’s sheep and beef in Ceredigion.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” he added. “But I am so glad that we have come out of the competition with the title.”
Before the winners were announced, both teams had to face a final three challenges and seize the opportunity to please the three judges – Richard Tudor a sheep farmer from Ceredigion, agricultural lecturer Wyn Morgan originally from Carmarthenshire and marketing expert Caryl Gruffudd Roberts from Conwy Valley – as well as special guest judges Dai Miles, managing director of Calon Wen and chief executive of Meat Promotion Wales, Gwyn Howells.
The champions took home a brand new Isuzu D-Max Yukon worth over £20,000, a year’s free insurance from FUW Insurance Services and a special edition Fferm Ffactor cufflinks made by Gwynedd jeweller, Beth Jarvis.
Siwan Haf, producer and director of the series said: “Congratulations to all the teams who took part and a big thank-you to all those involved in another successful series.
“I look forward to receiving the names of the teams for the next series.”
Mr Jones added: “It has been an adventure and a pleasure to work with Heilin and Rhys.
“We’ve stood and pulled together as a team and, fortunately, we didn’t fall as a team. The other two are sure to get a Christmas card from me this year.”