Owain Pugh has been appointed as the Farming Connect development officer for North Montgomeryshire. Owain takes over from well-known local agricultural support officer Gwenan Ellis, who has moved to a new role within Menter a Busnes.

Owain, 29, grew up on the family hill farm in Dinas Mawddwy, where he combines his Farming Connect role with helping his father and two brothers run a flock of mainly Welsh Mountain ewes. Farming Connect is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

After undertaking a national diploma in agriculture at Coleg Glynllifon, Owain attended Aberystwyth University, graduating with a BSc in agriculture. He then combined helping out at home with working for a local contractor until joining Farming Connect.

A keen member of Dinas Mawddwy YFC, Owain says this has given him a great network of like-minded friends and contacts. His farming background combined with his academic studies has given him a particular interest in animal health and husbandry as well as grassland management.

A regular attendee at Welshpool mart, Owain is keen to meet farmers and foresters in his area to encourage them to get involved with Farming Connect’s demonstration network, its events programme and support services.

“Gwenan has built up a big network of farming families supported by Farming Connect over a long period of time, so my aim is to build on that, reaching as many farmers as I can to ensure the same level of service and support continues.

“I want to ensure that farm businesses tap into the many projects our demonstration network is running which range from tackling lameness in sheep to trialling a speciality clover to find out whether it can thrive as a forage crop in the Welsh climate.

“I am also keen to encourage more farmers to get involved with benchmarking, because this useful comparison tool is already helping many farmers in Wales transform business efficiency and productivity.

Owain manages five topic-led discussion groups on dairy, sheep and poultry.

“Farming Connect can provide support across many different disciplines, and I’m enjoying the role of signposting farmers and foresters to the package of services and projects that will help ensure their businesses perform at their best,” said Owain.

To contact Owain and find out how Farming Connect can benefit you and your business, visit www.wales.gov/farmingconnect or call Owain on 07904 457316.