Cefn Gwyn in Pwllheli, North Wales and Sychpant Farm in Newcastle Emlyn, West Wales will now serve as open, working farms where others can learn from their systems, challenges and innovations, with a focus on improving efficiency and profitability.

At Sychpant Farm, Marcus Ferraro and his family milk 300 ProCross cows across 60 ha of owned land and 122 ha of rented ground.

The farm currently averages 6,500 litres per cow per year, at 3.65% protein and 4.52% butterfat.

The family reintroduced dairy farming in 2013 following investment in infrastructure.

Having started with a flying herd, they now focus on breeding from within the herd to improve biosecurity and herd health.

Marcus said:

“Joining the programme gives us the opportunity to gain expert input into areas like fertility and overall herd health.

“We’ve worked hard to reach this point, and we want to share our experience and offer something of value to others.”

Our Strategic Dairy Farm Programme provides farmer-to-farmer learning, bringing together farmers and industry experts to drive continuous improvement on farm.

Each participating farm is guided by a local steering group, providing accountability and strategic support across the three-year programme.

Jamie McCoy, Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager Dairy, said:

“We are delighted to welcome the two farms into the Strategic Dairy Farm Programme.

“Their participation will bring valuable regional insights and contribute to the continuous improvement of dairy farming practices.

“We look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have on the network and the broader farming community.

“Meetings will include farm walks, technical meetings, and even a digital offering, so don’t miss the farm launch events in June to share how you would like the Strategic Dairy Farm programme to serve the Welsh Dairy levy payer.