A fifth generation Welsh sheep and beef farm has resolved a succession conundrum by bringing a young farmer into the business as a partner.
Ben Ryder’s family have farmed Maesmachreth, an upland farm near Machynlleth, for two centuries.
With neither of their daughters interested in taking it on, Ben and his wife, Kate, had uncertainties about its future.
As they approached their sixties and with periods of ill health, they admit they had “run out of steam’’ and that was starting to impact on the farm.
Ben said: “We realised we weren’t as indestructible as we thought we were,’’ says Ben. “Farming is not the sort of thing that you can stand still on, when you do you go backwards and we were seeing that starting to creep in.’’
They sought advice on succession through Farming Connect and found the answer in Start to Farm, a matchmaking service designed to pair up landowners who are looking to step back from the industry with new entrants, offers funding for business planning and legal guidance.
The Ryders put themselves forward as a provider and Farming Connect promoted this opportunity.
In the neighbouring village, at Dinas Mawddwy, that opportunity came to the attention of Ynyr Pugh, who had been brought up on a smallholding and was ambitious to get a foothold in farming.
“I was intrigued by Start to Farm but I wanted if possible to be based close to home and until the opportunity at Maesmachreth came up there hadn’t been anything local,’’ Ynyr explains.
He provided the Ryders with a profile of what he could offer.
On 1 April 2024 they took the next step, making Ynyr a business partner with a 34% partnership share; they each have 33%.
Over the next eight years Ynyr will acquire an additional 1% annually after which he will become the majority shareholder.
When they reach that point they will look at how the situation might develop, such as through a Farm Business Tenancy.
It has been a positive experience for both the Ryders and Ynyr.
“We are far more enthusiastic about farming since Ynyr joined us,’’ says Kate.