VALE of Clwyd group members have been taken on a farm journey!
Rhug Estate, near Corwen, covers 12,500 acres of North Wales and is farmed organically, according to farm manager Gareth Jones.
He was speaking as a guest at the most recent meeting of the Denbigh and District Probus Club.
Born in Caernarfon, Gareth attended the Welsh Agricultural College at Aberystwyth.
Subsequently, he worked on dairying farms in New Zealand before returning to farm management in the UK.
He joined Rhug Estate, owned by Lord Newborough, in 1993.
The land commenced a change to organic farming in 1998.
READ: Work starts on new electricity connections at Rhug Estate
Recently, the enterprise has received the Green Business Award for an eco-friendly approach.
The retail complex on the A5 near Corwen developed from mobile units in 2011 to purpose-built premises providing a shop, café, takeaway unit and a new drive-through facility.
Many of the staff are long-serving employees and Gareth is keen to encourage younger people to join.
The farm's high-quality meat is dispatched to upmarket restaurants in London, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The Aberdeen Angus suckler herd is sired by a stabiliser bull that has the ideal characteristics for meat production.
Meanwhile, a tourist attraction is the local herd of bison providing low cholesterol red meat and similarly, a herd of Sika deer.
A total of 5,000 lambs are bred each year of Swaledale Blue Faced Leicester parentage.
Some animals are grown on a salt marsh that enhances the flavour of the meat. Day old chickens are also reared, maturing after 12 weeks.
READ: Denbigh club hears of work at inn
The Christmas trade is supplied with turkeys and geese that arrive on the farm around the end of May.
About 220 acres of triticale wheat is grown and its long stems shade the weeds essential for satisfactory organic management of the crop.
There is also 140 acres of silage including oats, peas and vetches. The crop is undersown with a grass herb mix and stubble turnips.
The estate is looking at ways of generating power.
Electric car chargers have also been installed at the shop.
In conclusion, Gareth told the Denbigh and District Probus Club that sustainable profitable food production was of paramount importance.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel