An Usk Farmer is part of a network of farmers which are taking a lead on helping Welsh agriculture transition to a net zero future with the farms involved trialling novel innovations and technologies in their own systems.

Farming Connect officially launched its ‘Our Farms’ network at the Royal Welsh Show last Monday (24 July) when it unveiled the identity of those 15 farms and Nigel Bowyer and family at Ty Coch Usk, pictured bottom left, is one of them.

From Anglesey in the north to Pembrokeshire in the south, they feature a diverse range of systems, from beef and sheep to dairy and poultry, but with a shared ambition to build resilience and sustainability amid a changing climate.

Over the next two years, the farms will host Farming Connect open days to share best practice and new ideas that originate from their on-farm projects and trial results.

Among the farmers recruited are red meat farmers Rhodri and Claire Jones, who farm at Brynllech Uchaf, Llanuwchllyn, Meirionnydd.

Among their ambitions in becoming part of the Our Farms network are to reduce their dependence on purchased forage and to find a pasture seed mix that suits their system, land and climate.

It follows on from advice they were once given: “The most useful bit of advice we have ever been given is to change if it suits you and to improve what you are trying to do,’’ said Rhodri.

Also recruited to the network are livestock farmers David, Eryl and Daniel Evans, of Tanygraig, Lampeter, who have already seen the benefits of utilising technology with a CCTV system that has transformed lambing and calving.

They aim to embark on projects that use other technologies too, to help futureproof their business, and to reduce costs without reducing output.

For Sian, Aled and Rhodri Davies, who run a mixed farm at Cwmcowddu, Llangadog, North Carmarthenshire, a key area they want to focus on as Our Farms farmers is how they can make better use of chicken manure to reduce their purchased fertiliser needs.

Improving the nutrition and fertility of their dairy herd is another aspiration.

“We also want to focus on increasing the amount of forage we grow, and making it more drought tolerant,’’ said Aled.