This year’s award was launched at the ‘NFU Cymru Sustainable Agriculture: Food, Farming and the Environment’ conference in June. The award, which was first presented in 2019, recognises a commitment to the economic, environmental, social and cultural wellbeing of Wales.
During a presentation at the NFU Cymru conference today (Thursday 3rd November), Aled was presented with a prize of £500 and a Welsh slate engraved barometer.
Investment
Aled farms in partnership with his brother with the core business milking 150 dairy cows in an all-year round calving system. Aled invested in a robotic milking system in 2019, the robotic system is integrated into a grazing system with cows coming in to be milked when they finish grazing.
As well as embracing technological advances with the robotic milking system, the first diversification into renewable energy took place in 2011 with ground source heating to Aled’s parent’s house. Since then, they have installed 4kw of roof mounted solar panels and a 185kw biomass boiler. The farm now houses four combined heat and power units which produces 40kw of electricity per unit when at full capacity. These meet all the electricity requirements of the farm and any surplus electricity is sold to the grid.
Aled has been committed to Glastir schemes since 2013 and is also managing significant areas of SSSI land on Cors Caron in conjunction with NRW. He also manages areas of woodland hedgerows which were originally planted by the family of James Kitchener Davies, a well-known Welsh poet and playwright.
Invaluable water resource
On the farm, Aled has created a pond which is habitat for water voles and various amphibian mammals. The pond has also been an invaluable water resource for the livestock on the farm during the recent hot weather. Sensitive management of the riverbanks and riparian corridors takes place along two miles of the River Teifi which runs through the farm, as well as harvesting rainwater from the rooves of the farm buildings. This is collected in two tanks with all the water used for washing down the yards and milking parlour. The positive environmental management of the farm supports a thriving red kite population.
Off farm, Aled has been a retained firefighter at Tregaron Fire Station for the last 30 years and has been Watch Manager for the last eight years, in charge of a crew of 12 firefighters. He also volunteered as the local co-ordinator and point of contact for his local area during the Coronavirus pandemic. Aled is a Parent Governor at Ysgol Henry Richard and provides practical experience for pupils at the school studying agricultural courses in a number of farming practices. He has also hosted local school pupils who have special educational needs, helping them to learn practical skills.
He hosted several agricultural students from Plouvien, Brittany as part of twinning activities between the French town and Tregaron, and more recently, Aled hosted the 2022 Tregaron National Eisteddfod. He is a former Chair of the Ceredigion NFU Cymru County Branch.
Hedd Pugh, NFU Cymru Rural Affairs Board Chairman, one of the judges for the award, said: “I’d like to congratulate Aled on winning this award. The use of technology mixed with the dedication he shows to producing high quality milk whilst maintaining, protecting and enhancing the environment makes him a fantastic example of how productive, efficient food production, environmental management and climate change mitigation measures can go hand in hand.
“The wide and varied roles that Aled plays in his rural community alongside his support of our language and culture make him a true Sustainable Agriculture Champion, a shining example of the contribution that Welsh farmers make to the economic, environmental, social and cultural well-being of Wales.”
Gareth Davies, CEO of Wynnstay said: “Wynnstay are very pleased to be sponsors of the Sustainable Agriculture award. The standard of entries and the finalists for this year’s award show the quality and diversity of our faming across Wales. In an ever-changing economic and political environment, sustainable agriculture is key to the long-term prosperity of our farm businesses and to underpinning a thriving agri-food supply chain in Wales.”
