Farmers Weekly Awards 2015: Sheep Farmer of the Year

Richard Roderick

Newton Farm, Brecon, Powys

It’s a cocktail of good old-fashioned family teamwork, well-balanced books and a dash of entrepreneurial flare that makes Richard and Helen Roderick’s family sheep farm a business that will be going for generations to come.

Spend an afternoon with team Roderick and you soon realise this isn’t any-old sheep farming operation – everything they do is pulling in one direction – sustainable grass-based lamb production.

See also: More about the Farmers Weekly Awards

The mixed sheep, beef and arable farm nestled in the Usk valley has grown from 90ha in 1989 to 260ha today through a heads-up approach to farming, developing a complementary mix of enterprises and grabbing every opportunity that comes their way.

The improvement of 100ha of old grass leys with new swards and clover mixes, the introduction of Aberfield rams to drive greater prolificacy and growth rates off grass and the planting of 6,000 trees are all part of a family plan to scale up lamb production. But it is their grasp of the bigger picture, that is the real draw. They’re constantly looking at how their family can continue to prosper in this beautiful part of the world.

Helen’s background in accountancy means Richard’s entrepreneurial flair and appetite to be a trailblazer is tempered with a healthy dose of realism.

“If currency stays where it is we are going to be getting a double whammy of less support and less export, so we have to explore new ideas and methods to keep the business sustainable,” says Richard.

And that’s exactly what they’ve done. After more than 15 years supplying Waitrose, Richard has developed a healthy relationship with the retailer and processor and is now actively pushing for innovative forward lamb contracts to reduce the threat of volatile lamb prices on the business.

Walking through the yard, the farm’s legacy as a pig unit is immediately apparent with an abundance of sheds. Once inside though you see how they’ve cleverly used the space to integrate their housing system and silage clamps, saving time and reducing labour costs.

Climbing up through the fields the mix of land under environmental stewardship, in productive pasture, in arable rotation and in grazing trials is indicative of the balanced approach to farming taken by team Roderick.

A 8ha grazing trial of plantain, chicory and clover mixes is a particular area of focus at the moment as they monitor the benefits of greater carrying capacity, reduced finishing costs and faster recovery times.

“Making good forage is one of the most important things we can do.” The only thing we have control of is our costs so we are going to have to do a lot more with less,” he says.

Richard and Helen’s ability to look beyond the technical proficiencies of sheep farming to make the most productive use of the landscape in which they live is a valuable lesson for the sheep farming community.

Finalists

Isaac Crilly

Castlederg, County Tyrone

Isaac and his wife have focused on ram performance, rather than appearance, on their 500-ewe flock. It’s delivered a lambing percentage of 200%. Every resource at Isaac’s disposal is used to maximise production, showing that you don’t need thousands of acres to succeed.

Philip Kent

Part Isaac, Cornwall

A role model for anyone looking to switch to sheep farming. Philip has balanced a mix of hard work with a studious approach to monitoring flock performance and grassland management to grow a family farm into a productive and resilient business.

Sponsor’s message

Congratulations to Richard on his award which was won in the face of stiff competition from Issac and Philip. Richard and his fellow finalists are creating the future for the UK sheep industry and should be commended for it.

Jim Dobson, Group chief executive