Members' Blog

JAAP H – SIR BENFRO | PEMBROKESHIRE

“I have now had my pigs for 9 weeks and 4 days, they have been growing exceptionally quickly and now average 77kg. I have exceeded my target feed conversion ratio which was 2.1kg and is now 1.66kg of feed per kg of meat. They are growing at 1.4kg a day at an average which is well over my expectations. I have enjoyed every minute of having them and am looking forward even more to show them at the Winter Fair.”

LISA G – SIR GÂR | CARMARTHENSHIRE

“Recently the pigs have been a pain with their water, tipping their buckets and then rolling in the water and dirty straw where they have been ‘doing their business’. They stink but by the next day they’re all of a sudden pretty clean. It is crazy the amount they have grown since I’ve had them. They have been fed 2kgs a day, being fed  twice a day with a kilo each end of the day, the pigs are now averaging about 75kgs. One day I went in to clean them out and I had filled the wheel barrow up and this pig individually decides to go and tip the wheel barrow and this repeated around three times! This was not funny at the time but now looking back on it, it is quite funny! On the 10th November the seven of us that are competing in this competition went up to Treial Mawr, Llannon to have a go at showing the pigs and washing them, and also getting tips of what to take with us and what to wear in the showring. Since then I have given the pigs a wash and trained them, this has been quite an interesting one. This is going to be an adventure up the winter fair, I’ve never kept pigs before which means it has been a different experience. Looking back and adding the numbers up, on the cost list doesn’t give much profit but nothing shows to be giving much profit anymore with the price of living. But having a go is the most important thing!”

GWENAN D – SIR BENFRO | PEMBROKESHIRE

“Over the past month the pigs have progressed well. The gilts have been gaining on average 7kg a week and the boars around 8.5kg a week. It has become obvious that one of the gilts is possibly a week younger than the others due to being a week behind in weight than the others. We moved them into a bigger shed at the beginning of November this resulted in a drop of weight gain due to them getting used to their new environment but by the following week their weight gain had increased to normal again. I have begun training the boars ready for Winter fair and have been to Treial Mawr, Llanon which was organised by YFC and I had also organised for myself to go to Troedyraur farm for further advice and help with training. I have been taking them out three times a week to keep up with training and have used a board supplied by YFC to do so. Over the next week I will be gathering all the information and pictures that I have collected from taking part in this competition and using it to creating an information board which will be displayed with my pigs at the Winter Fair. I have decided to continue to feed them supa grower from Wynnstay and have been doing this ad-lib to ensure they have access to feed at all times. At the moment the pigs are averaging 93kg each so are expected to be around 100kg by the winter fair.”

SIONED T – SIR BENFRO | PEMBROKESHIRE

“It’s nearly show time!

On Sunday 10th of November I travelled up to Treial Mawr in Llanon to have expert advice from Andrew and the chief pig steward Joyce. I thoroughly enjoyed learning how to wash and prepare the pigs for the show ring and how to show the pigs using a board and stick. It was nice to meet up with fellow competitors to see how they were getting on with the pigs and picking up tips from them. The pigs have been fed on For Farmers pig rearers from when I had them to when they reached 65kg. They have gradually moved on to For Farmers Traditional Grader which is designed for high and efficient growth rates and maximum lean tissue deposition. On average the pigs have gained 6kg/head/week which is average for pigs at this age according to AHDB. I have been working on the show information board that will be on show for spectators to see facts and figures about the pigs. On Thursday 21st of November we had a zoom meeting with business owner Hannah Bowie and Siwan from Farming Connect discussing marketing options for our diversification. I learnt that it is very important to identify my audience and recognise potential gaps in the market in order to be competitive. I have done this by creating a logo and advertising my pork business on social media as well as researching this topic. With much thought and consideration, I have decided to keep the two gilts for future breeding and to continue the ‘Moch y Llan’ story”.