NSA Welsh Sheep 2023 - Hosts
12th May 2023
The event is always sheep industry focused, but this year’s hosts, Hugh and Sioned Owen with their son, Dafydd, are especially keen on also sharing their farming story with the public. So this year it will be more outward facing, with local schools and colleges invited.
Red House extends to 550 acres and rises to 855 feet above sea level, with sweeping views down to the Severn Valley. The Owen family run 1,000 Texel cross ewes at Red House, together with Dafydd’s flock of 55 pedigree Beltex sheep.
There are a hundred pedigree Limousin suckler cows, mostly registered. They also run a flock of a hundred pedigree Texel sheep.
Hugh says: “We’re all looking forward to it. We’ll throw ourselves into it all and show people how we do things. It’s a working farm.
“I like to think we do our best to do everything to a certain level. We’ve got some Suffolk x Mule ewes as well and then we cross them with a Beltex. We also put the Texel yearlings to a Beltex ram.
“The emphasis here in Red House is on good, top quality prime lamb and the same with the cattle. We want people to know us for what we are producing.”
Lamb production is focussed on producing a good quality carcass, with a weight that will appeal to all markets. They aim for about 42 kilos and above, ideally 45/46 kilos at the top grade, to reach the widest possible range of buyers.
Huw says: “You get butchers coming back to buy lambs weekly, so you need your lambs to be doing what they want them to do.
“We’re producing lambs for the market on the day. We start selling lambs as a rule from June until the end of August.
“The cattle are all sold as stores and our aim is again exactly the same, producing a high quality carcass animal and we sell them at about 12 months of age in Welshpool and St Asaph.
“Because we’re a pure Limousin herd, we produce a good conformation animal and again it’s going back to repeat customers. The product we’re selling is what they want.”
The family say quality is paramount in everything they do and Sioned stresses that the farm is very much a team effort, with each helping out where necessary. And they have confidence in good quality sheep production.
The farm is now owned by Hugh, Sioned and Dafydd. Hugh’s late father, Bryn Owen of Sandilands Farm, Tywyn, had bought the former dairy farm in 2013 for the family, who also run a caravan park and farming business in Tywyn.
Lambing began in February with the pedigree Beltex, followed by the Texels and the commercial flock on 1st March. They were brought in before lambing and timing depends on whether they’re carrying triplets, twins or singles, as does feeding. Weather permitting, they’re out as soon as they’ve lambed and lambs have sucked.
Triplets and twins are fed cobs in the straw, as well as silage. The singles are just fed silage. They all have ad lib minerals. It’s about looking after each and every one, with health and welfare paramount. Dafydd does the night shift, while his parents take the lead during the day.
The calving began almost as soon as lambing finished in mid April. The 80 cows were brought in as they start bagging up, so that they could be closely watched with the cctv. They are relatively easy calving.
Replacement heifers are reared on the farm and each cow is kept as long as possible. Prioritising health and welfare helps their good longevity.
The family generally buys in replacement ewes for the commercial flock, but with the Texel and Beltex flocks, the best ewe lambs are kept on. In terms of grassland, they try to plough 10% every year with a regular grass seed mix.
Family and team work are at the heart of everything, with one valued part time member of staff. Son Dafydd, 24, studied at Glynllifon College and Llysfasi College and has his own flock of 55 pedigree Beltex ewes. He has had an award for the best flock in Wales from the Welsh Beltex Club.
Dafydd is very forward looking: “I decided to start breeding Beltex sheep around 12 years ago so we could breed our own rams for the commercial flock. We do the same with the Texels. Breeding our own rams enables us to breed top quality lambs.
“People will always need food to survive and the sooner governments realise that the better! It’s a basic necessity of life which people take for granted.”
Sioned is hugely enthusiastic: “I came into farming when I married Huw and I have a real passion for the industry. We work together as a family, sharing the joys and the tears!
“So we’ll revel in the chance to showcase our industry to the general public this year, as well as to fellow sheep farmers. It will give them more insight into the huge value that their food has and the care and attention that goes into rearing the stock and getting such nutritious meat to the table.
“It’s a great story and we’re so happy to share it. I hope young people and schools come here, so that they understand where food comes from. It’s important that schoolchildren these days understand.”
Huw adds: “It’s a growing population and people need feeding. People seem to forget that food needs to be produced.
“The environment is important, but so is food production. We need a more balanced approach from our political leaders and opinion formers. We farm here and try and keep a balance between nature and providing high quality beef and lamb for the public to enjoy.
“We have planted hedges and the countryside around here wouldn’t look as it does without the farmers. As part of our farming routine, we pletch the hedges, double fence to stop the stock getting to them, so they grow and provide shelter for nesting ground birds and small animals.
“Fencing was the biggest challenge when we came here. It’s taken years to get to where we are and it’s ongoing, as it is on every farm.”
The family’s joy in continually improving the farm and producing top quality food in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner is evident. And they are proud to share their story.
Contact gaina@gainamorganmedia.co.uk 07872823366
