Dylan Jones, of Castellior, Menai Bridge, addressed the conference on Tuesday 7 January, detailing the changes he’d made to evolve the family farming business. The transformation undertaken on the Anglesey farm saw him win the coveted Famers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year and British Grassland Society Grassland Farmer of the Year awards last year.
Reaching net zero
Eight years ago, Dylan and his father were finishing 700 cattle a year as part of a system that relied heavily on buying in soya, nitrogen and urea. When a group of visiting farmers questioned whether the intensive system he was operating could ever reach net zero, Dylan set himself the challenge of making it happen.
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Over the next few years, he completely overhauled his farming system, quickly selling his breeding ewes and concentrating his efforts on how to make his beef system as efficient as possible. Central to that was the utilisation of good quality manure and introducing red clover into his crop rotation. These two ingredients have proved to be the winning formula that have helped propel Castellior away from a reliance on purchased inputs to producing all crops, including protein, on farm. Sheep have been reintroduced to the farm as a grazing management tool, and in keeping with the environmentally-friendly ethos of the farm, their wool is used as part of the bedding mix for the cattle.
A focus on data is also integral to the success of the new system. For example, the Joneses weigh over 100 cattle every week to ensure they can monitor cow performance and optimise growth. The overall focus on efficiency and productivity has seen Castellior drive its carbon footprint down well below the Wales average.
Union work
NFU Cymru President Aled Jones also addressed the conference, providing members with an update on the union’s lobbying work across a number of areas including Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme and the recent UK Government’s family farm tax.
Speaking after the meeting, NFU Cymru Mid Gwynedd County Chairman Trefor Parry said: “We are thankful to Dylan Jones for coming to speak with us and enlighten us on the net zero journey being undertaken at Castellior. The Joneses’ story is an inspiring one and it was great to hear how the farm has honed its productivity and efficiency for the betterment of the environment and the business. It was also good to welcome NFU Cymru President Aled Jones back to his home county to give an update on the volume and variety of work being undertaken by the NFU Cymru team on behalf of members.”