Nearly a year into a partnership agreement, and 28-year-old Rhys Richards is proving how collaboration between farmers can be beneficial to all involved.

Rhys was employed as an agricultural contractor after periods of working on farms but his ambition was to get a foothold on the farming ladder.

With assistance from Farming Connect’s Venture initiative, he has achieved that goal, farming in partnership with brothers Nick and David Nichols, who run 60 Limousin-cross and Simmental-cross suckler beef cows on an organic system at 320-acre Gwernant Farm near Rhydlewis, Llandysul.

The brothers are both in their late 60s and wanted to reduce their day-to-day farming commitments.

Rhys, Nick and David had registered with Venture – a Farming Connect programme that matches landowners and farmers with those seeking a new route into the industry – and were supported through the process of establishing a partnership agreement for the livestock element of the business.

“We received funding to be guided through the process by John Crimes of CARA Wales and for a solicitor to draw up the partnership agreement which was a very extensive piece of paperwork,” said Nick.

“It simplified the whole process and the financial assistance we received was very welcome.”

Rhys has now been farming at Gwernant for nearly a year and says it is the best decision he has ever made.

See the full story in this week’s south edition