Tyddyn yr Eglwys Farm in Pembrokeshire has been named as the first AHDB strategic dairy farm for west Wales.

Managed by Hannah and Dylan Harries, the spring block-calving herd consists of 550 Friesian-Jersey cross cows and 130 home-reared heifers.

Tyddyn yr Eglwys will host a launch event on August 6, 2019, where they will give an overview of the farm, including a tour, as well as sharing their current technical and financial performance and plans for the future.

Hannah explained: “We are aiming to optimise the businesses performance and become as efficient as possible.

“We are always open to suggestions from anybody about how we can best achieve this, whether that be through the support provided by the AHDB strategic farm process or by trying visiting farmers ideas.”

Over the next three years, she and her husband Dylan aim to further reduce their cost of production, maximise the benefits of recent infrastructure investments and improve their overall profitability.

Tyddyn yr Eglwys Farm is the second strategic dairy farm in Wales as part of the Dairy Improvement Programme, which is funded through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme.

Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths said: “As AHDB’s Strategic Farms initiative spreads further across Wales it will continue to provide local touchpoints for Welsh dairy farmers to learn from each other and showcase best practice.

This will help our dairy farmers to become more efficient, improve profitability and reduce their costs in key areas.

“I am therefore delighted Tyddyn yr Eglwys Farm in Pembrokeshire has become the second Strategic Farm in Wales and the first in South West Wales.”

Gwyn Jones, AHDB’s Dairy Sector chairman added: “It’s exciting to see momentum growing with another Strategic Dairy Farm linking up with Farming Connect activities in South West Wales which further enables farmer-to-farmer learning.”