Farming Connect has wrapped up a series of 22 farm visits across Wales in September, up from 15 last year, highlighting sustainable land management (SLM) through on-farm trials and demonstrations.

Nearly 1,200 attendees took part, hearing from 66 expert speakers and learning directly from fellow farmers. Events spanned all sectors, including red meat, dairy, horticulture, arable, woodland, and mixed farming, with a focus on sustainable practices aligned with the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) and innovative technologies.

The visits were hosted by farms in the Farming Connect Our Farms network, with speakers sharing insights from their projects and results. Agricultural organisations including the Welsh Farm Safety Partnership, Arwain DGC, Tir Dewi, and Hybu Cig Cymru also joined, showcasing initiatives and engaging with farmers.

Three of the farm visits focused on the Farming Connect Welsh Sheep Genetics Programme.

Elan Davies, Head of Genetics at Farming Connect said:"Being part of the 'Our Farms' farm visits provided a fantastic platform for the Welsh Sheep Genetics Programme. It was a great opportunity to connect directly with the farming industry and effectively disseminate project results as well as key messages about genetic improvement that will help move the sheep industry forward."

Attendees across the county expressed enthusiasm for the informative nature of the events, with many citing the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals as a significant benefit.

One farmer who attended an event last month shared how they might implement changes on their farm following the information shared during the event.

They said: “I will now look into improving our grazing infrastructure to manage in a way that will improve sward quality and extended grazing period. It was a great learning opportunity.”

Farming Connect staff highlighted that all services used by host farmers are available to every registered member.