New Strategic Dairy Farm launches in North Wales

Bodysgaw Isa in Denbighshire, North Wales will become our third Welsh Strategic Dairy Farm following its launch event at the farm on 18 September.

Run by Arthur Owen and his family, Bodysgaw Isa is home to an autumn block calving herd of 375 Friesian crossbred cows. It’s tenanted on the Cefn Estate and has been with the Owen family since 1939.

Over the next three years Arthur will fine tune the business and its profitably, by increasing milk production from forage crops, improving control of pests and diseases such as Johne’s and Neospora, as well as upgrading slurry storage and utilisation.

He said: “It’s great to be part of the Strategic Dairy Farm network and join a group of leading dairy farmers working to both improve their own productivity, and through events on the farm, get feedback and learn from other farmers experiencing similar issues. We’re looking forward to welcoming people to our farm tour and launch event on September 18th.”

Gwyn Jones, Chairman of AHDB’s Dairy Sector added ‘The partnership between Welsh Government, AHDB and Farming Connect is working extremely well. As it continues to grow, it will provide Welsh Dairy Farmers with the opportunity to share best practice, discuss their personal experiences and learn from each other. This structured focus on productivity and impact provides added stability for the Welsh dairy industry in a rapidly changing world.”

For those wishing to attend the launch they will get an open, honest and transparent overview of the farm, including the farm’s history and a tour. There will also be a focus on its technical and financial performance against AHDB’s KPIs key performance indicators and an insight into the long-term vision for the business, including a critical look at areas for improvement and future focus.