Over 250 people from the local farming community came together on Sunday to raise funds for the Brecon Show, the oldest agricultural show in the UK first established in 1755.
Hosted by the presidents of the 2022 Brecon Show, guests of the Sustainable Farming Event enjoyed a lunch, raffle and tour of Newton Farm, raising over £6,000 in the process.
Hosts Richard and Helen Roderick are no strangers to holding events, often welcoming farmers, customers and supermarkets onto the farm.
“Hosting events like today at Newton Farm brings together the farming community to share our passion and knowledge of the industry while raising money to fund the much-loved Brecon Show. Just as we welcome supermarkets, chefs and others to our farm, Brecon Show provides an opportunity for us to celebrate and share Breconshire’s agricultural heritage with the local community and champion quality Welsh Lamb and Beef, linking back to the wonderful environment in which we live.”
One of the key sponsors of the event was Welsh Water. Catchment manager Tara Froggatt said: “We are very pleased to be sponsoring this event. It showcases the fantastic work being carried out in partnership with Richard and other members of Beacons Water Group in piloting innovative approaches to enhancing farm efficiency whilst protecting our drinking water sources.”
Prys Morgan, Livestock Procurement Director from Kepak, a manufacturing business and employer in Merthyr, one of the sponsors for the farming event, said: “Newton Farm has been supplying Kepak with quality Welsh Beef and Lamb for many years. Their passion for the industry and ambition for sustainable farming is to be applauded, and we are delighted to be supporting this event.
Newton Farm has recently joined Agri-EPI Centre’s network of 25 innovation farms – showcasing, validating and providing a pivotal role in knowledge exchange and helping to support the further uptake of agri-tech. Lisa Williams, Director of Business Development, said “We are pleased to support Newton Farm and the Brecon County Show with this fundraising event, whilst also formally welcoming the Farm within our wider network. It is an exciting, yet challenging time within the agricultural sector, and agri-tech has the potential to help support farmers with these challenges”.