By Debbie James

A FORWARD-THINKING attitude sets hill farmer Llyr Jones apart from many of his contemporaries.

Llyr is not afraid to embrace change or adopt new ideas, an outlook that has transformed the family farm from a traditional beef and sheep unit to a multi-faceted business producing free range eggs and high-quality rapeseed oil.

It is an entrepreneurial spirit that 37-year-old Llyr inherited from his father, Emyr, who passed away in 2003.

He farms Derwydd, near the village of Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, Ruthin, in partnership with his mother, Iola.

Until last year, the suckler beef herd numbered 50 cows but the herd was losing money. Coupled with the prospect of diminishing subsidy payments, Llyr knew action was needed to put the business on a sound footing for the future.

He cut suckler cow numbers to eight and created a 16,000-hen free range egg unit.

With a three-year cost of production contract in place to supply Tesco, the first batch of Lohman hens arrived on January 18.

Llyr made the decision to deal directly with a supermarket instead of opting for a franchise-type operation because it allowed flexibility for buying feed and hens.

“A cost of production contract helps with planning cashflow, the price is adjusted every year,’’ explains Llyr, who established the business in partnership with his wife, Emma, an equine vet.

With supermarkets aiming to stop selling cage-eggs from 2025, the repercussions for free range egg production is of concern but while demand may fall, Llyr predicts there will be fewer suppliers and higher egg prices are a consequence.

The multi-tier system is powered with electricity generated by the farm’s own 30kW hydro and 24kW solar energy systems.

The poultry litter will be applied to the land, considerably reducing annual fertiliser costs.

The unit may be in its infancy but Llyr is already planning expansion. In fact, when he established the initial infrastructure, he installed electricity cable, a generator and a packing machine more than the requirements needed for 16,000 hens.

With that already in place, he calculates that he can double production for just 75% of the cost of the first investment.

The poultry business is Llyr’s second diversification. In 2011 he and two friends launched Blodyn Aur, a high-quality oil made from Welsh rapeseed, with production facilities at Derwydd.

Around 6,000 bottles of the oil are sold monthly through branches of Asda and Sainsbury and also farm shops and independent retailers.

Although it generates an income, Llyr admits it is not a lucrative enterprise. “It won’t make me a millionaire!’’ he jokes. The business provides employment for two people and Llyr also employs a full time and a part-time worker in the poultry business.

It is a sector where profits are dictated by the unit price and production volume. “The only way to make money out of it is to retail it as cheaply as possible and to produce as much as possible,’’ says Llyr.

The byproducts from processing are fed to the sheep – a flock of 1500 Mules and Nelson-type Welsh ewes – or sold to other farmers.

Not only does Llyr credit his father with his enthusiasm for trying new ideas and for embracing change but also with the sense of community that has taken him to Africa as a volunteer, to serve as a community councillor and to organise community events including a farm-themed summer sports day.

That public-spirited approach is a reason why Llyr was awarded the 2016 NFU Cymru/Principality Welsh Rural Community Champion award.

His first trip to Africa was to Kenya to build an orphanage. A subsequent mission involved delivering bore hole equipment to Gambia.

Llyr has since made similar trips to Africa but marriage and a daughter – nine-month-old Dwynwen – has now focused his time nearer to home.

“Life has caught up with me but there is some money left in the pot so we will go back to Malawi at some point in the future.’’