Farmer Focus: Birdscarer bangs upset locals but save crop

In my last article, I wrote about the desperation for rain. Just to update everyone, it’s arrived.

We have had a run of heavy rain and warm weather fronts, giving us some excellent growing conditions.

I think the grassland is still catching up from the drought period, but we are certainly heading in the right direction.

See also: Could a Saturday teenager work on your farm?

About the author

Joe Mault
Livestock Farmer Focus writer
Joe Mault and his family run 850 commercial ewes across 155ha near Corwen, north Wales. The farm produces Beltex and Charollais prime lambs and rears 100 dairy heifers from six months to calving on contract. Joe also works at a local college.
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The arable silage is now established after some early issues with crows.

We ended up using a gas scarer to move them on, which did the trick – although it certainly didn’t go unnoticed by the local community.

The banging led to a flurry of complaints on the village Facebook page, with a few residents even quoting NFU best practice guidelines, which humoured my father.

Rain was also a key theme during a recent visit to the Royal Welsh Show hill farming event at Hafod y Llan in Beddgelert, where it poured almost all day.

Organised by Feature County Caernarfonshire  as a fundraising event for the 2025 Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells, the day was a true celebration of upland farming.

The location was absolutely stunning, with the farm stretching from the valley floor right up to the summit of Yr Wyddfa.

I thought the heavy rain added to the theatre of the event, with the mossy stone walls glistening in the rain acting as a picture frame to such a beautiful place.

Although the organisers will probably disagree with me, I think it was totally appropriate for heavy rain to descend on an area that is so influenced by the weather.

The show had some excellent demonstrations from working sheepdogs, forestry activities and well-informed seminars.

However, the main attraction for me was the intercollege young farmer competition, which saw teams of three students from seven further education colleges across Wales go head-to-head in a series of challenging tasks.

The competition tested both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, with activities including stock judging of Welsh Black cattle and Welsh Mountain sheep, sheep shearing, fencing, quad bike driving, and a range of industry-related assessments.

Again, I must congratulate the organisers. It was a great idea to engage with young farmers at this event, demonstrating traditional breeds and embedding our Welsh culture.