Hefin Llywd has joined GrowHow UK as the company’s newest field-based Farm Adviser. He took up his new position on 13 October and will cover the South West and South Wales.
Originally from North Wales, Hefin was brought up in Penmaenpool, near Dolgellau but as a teenager moved to Pen-y-Bont Fawr in North Montgomeryshire – the area where his ancestors had farmed for twelve generations on the Berwyn mountains. He explains: “Although my parents didn’t farm directly, my connection to the land was strong enough to lead me to seek a career in agriculture.” Hefin holds a national diploma in agriculture from the Welsh Agricultural College, Aberystwyth and has spent the past 25 years working on large livestock and arable farms in many parts of England and Wales.
Most recently he managed a 400 acre upland unit near Okehampton, West Devon as well as running a farm business tenancy on a nearby 120 acre farm. In Devon, Hefin built a successful pedigree Lleyn flock, expanding to some 950 breeding ewes by 2012.
He explains: “My farming philosophy was based around grazing management, and providing the best possible forage to achieve the maximum returns, To this end I became involved in various industry groups, and undertook regular management trials such as grazing exclusion cages trials and was also involved in trialling the New Zealand based Farmax grazing software, to generate KPI’s that could be used to improve grazing management, and overall farm profitability.”
He has also been actively involved in the British Grassland Society, becoming a grazing mentor in the Society’s Grazing Partners Initiative. Other key achievements include a FWAG conservation award, and being a finalist in the Farmers Weekly annual awards, in the sheep farmer of the year category.
Hefin is planning to re-locate from Okehampton to Wellington in Somerset to be geographically better placed to service his territory, which covers South Wales and the South West. He says: “I am looking forward to meeting new people and catching up with a few old college friends in South Wales.
Clive Deeley Business Advice Manager for GrowHow adds: “GrowHow is the UK’s market leader of high quality fertilisers and our team of Farm Advisers offer first-class nutrient management advice. Hefin will work closely with our distributors and farmer customers to provide helpful, practical, technical advice on fertiliser and crop nutrition.”
Outside work Hefin as a strong interest in rugby even though his playing days are now behind him. He also enjoys fly fishing as a more sedentary hobby and is never too far away from a good book.
