A young farmer has proven a pig fattening business and immediate meat gross sales small business many thanks to a novel initiative that offered her with 5 weaners.
Rhiannon Davies, who grew up on a beef and sheep farm and is a member of Caerwedros YFC, states the aid from Menter Moch Cymru was an critical catalyst to acquiring her commenced in pig farming.
She was specified 5 pigs, along with teaching and just one-to-1 mentoring on subject areas ranging from their working day to day administration to promoting their meat, after winning a pig ending competition run by Menter Moch Cymru and Wales YFC.
The initiative culminated in her displaying the animals at the Royal Welsh Winter season Truthful.
She stated: “I often needed to hold pigs but I’d hardly ever had any experience of functioning with them so to have the possibility to have a go with the reward of a network of assistance was incredibly precious.”
Rhiannon’s introduction to pig output was so successful that in advance of those people 1st five pigs had been bought she acquired in a even further four weaners.
Given that then, she has launched a immediate meat income company, Cig Banc Sion Cwilt, on the spouse and children farm at Talgarreg in close proximity to Llandysul.
She buys in five batches of weaners a calendar year, all bred in Ceredigion and processed at Tregaron abattoir.
“I really substantially needed the pigs to be born, elevated and processed in Ceredigion,” she points out.
The level of competition authorized her to decide on a breed and she opted for a Welsh pig. She has since switched to a Welsh x Pietrain and a Saddleback x Pietrain to minimize ending situations.
The animals are completed on a straw program in sheds on her brother’s nearby farm on a eating plan of wheat and barley sourced from a farm in Ceredigion, aiming for a slaughter pounds of 70-75kg liveweight for porkers and 80-90kg for pigs reared to produce bacon.
Rhiannon has constructed up a strong customer base. “I have so quite a few repeat buyers which is good mainly because it suggests they are delighted with the product.”
When she introduced that business, Menter Moch Cymru stepped in with many possibilities for schooling in expertise these kinds of as marketing and advertising, even item photography.
“There were so numerous programs and that really accelerated my awareness which I would not have got experienced it not been for Menter Moch Cymru,” she states.
The meat is offered in boxes ranging from a entire pig to a family members pack.
Rhiannon is now in a dialogue group facilitated by Menter Moch Cymru which gives her an chance to meet up with other pig producers on their individual farms and to master and share strategies – some have even set up a butchery on their farm.
She is also benchmarking after signing up to the Menter Moch Cymru and Farming Link ‘Measure to Manage’ on line programme to assess the general performance of her enterprise with other people.
“It is specifically significant now, to have those figures in entrance of you, since the charge of feed has virtually doubled and we want to make guaranteed we continue to be efficient and successful.”