Dairy farmers Aled and Owain Rees from Treclyn-Isaf Farm in north Pembrokeshire have been announced as the winners of the BGS Grassland Farmer of the Year competition for 2022.

With sheep and beef farmers having won the competition on the previous two occasions, this year’s finalists were all from the dairy sector.

Father and son Aled and Owain Rees, representing Cardigan and District Grassland Society, run a 300-cow organic dairy herd on 105 hectares near Eglwyswrw that forms part of a larger 385-hectare organic farming system.

There are a mix of spring and autumn calving cows, the majority of which are pedigree Holstein, with a small number of Jersey crosses to improve milk solids figures. Grass is measured weekly, and fresh grazing is allocated twice a day. The clover content of the pastures is high, at more than 40%.

A multi-cut silage system is employed. Reseeding takes place when needed on under-performing pastures, and regular aerating is carried out on both silage and grazing areas. Environmental work, including hedge laying and tree planting, has been carried out and the installation of solar panels has reduced electricity costs on the farm.

The announcement of their success was made at an Awards Dinner jointly hosted by BGS and Powys Grassland Society at The Royal Oak Hotel, Welshpool, sponsored by Germinal, Nufarm and Yara.

Head judge Hugh McClymont from SRUC said that Aled and Owain showed both enthusiasm and passion. They had full sets of figures for all aspects of grass and milk production and the whole family, including Aled’s wife Hedydd and daughter Mared, were working together and all driven by results.

Mr McClymont added that it was good for the future of the dairy industry to see young farmers involved in decision making and future planning on all of the top three farms.