Two farmers at opposite ends of Powys have both been named among the finalists for the 2023 British Farming Awards.
Neil Davies of Cefnllan Farm, near Llangammarch Wells, and Greg and Rowan Pickstock of Brogain Farm, near Llanfechain, are both among the 60 most innovative farmers in Britain.
The awards are scheduled to be held on October 19, at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham, where numerous awards across the 18 categories up for grabs.
Two farmers nominated in the Beef Farmer of the Year category are Mr Davies and the Pickstocks.
Greg and Rowan Pickstock were recognised for their aim to produce carbon neutral beef by 2030 using only commercial and affordable methods.
Since building their farm in 2019, both Greg and Rowan have strived to achieve the shared goal of net zero beef production by putting in a new grazing system for their livestock and planting trees on unproductive farmland.
Greg said: “This is all to improve carbon sequestration and biodiversity on the farm, while demonstrating that trees can be planted without impacting productive land.”
The duo have also cut down their fertiliser and feed costs through their reseeding programme and fermentation trials.
The Pickstocks added that they are excited about the future of farming and the “many opportunities available for UK agriculture over the coming years”.
One of their fellow nominees, Neil Davies, was recognised for making many changes to the original farm business at Cefnllan, all with the aim of maximising forage utilisation and increasing output per hectare.
The farm was previously home to a traditional suckler herd, comprising 60 British Blue cross Limousin cows, but Mr Davies made the decision to transition to a dairy beef system, overseeing as many as 150 Aberdeen Angus cross dairy cattle every year.
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Mr Davies has also put an emphasis on grazing for maximum grass utilisation, undertaking a five year reseeding programme to improve the quality of grazing land.
He said: “These new leys are very productive in the spring when the business needs to make the most out of the grass.”
As well as farming full-time, Neil is actively involved in many of the industry’s discussion groups, as well as being a member of the NFU’s next generation group, an Agri Academy 2019 business and innovation member, and a Farming Connect sheep and beef demonstration farmer.
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