Blog Meinir 03-05-2013

Gyda hi bellach yn fis Mai, mae’n golygu bod Ralïau’r Ffermwyr Ifanc ar y gorwel ac mae Rali Sir Gâr fory sef Mai 4ydd yn Nantyci ger Caerfyrddin. Fe fydd hi’n ddiwrnod cymysg iawn imi eleni, gan mai hon fydd fy rali olaf a’r digwyddiad mawr olaf i mi fel aelod o’r Ffermwyr Ifanc, ac felly’n brawf fy mod yn mynd yn hen! Dwi wedi cael profiadau lu, ac mae fy nyled yn fawr i’r mudiad am bob cyfle dwi wedi’i dderbyn.

Mae’r cystadlaethau beirniadu stôc eisoes wedi’u cynnal er mwyn hwyluso’r trefniadau ar ddiwrnod y Rali. Cafwyd tair noson o gystadlu yn ddiweddar gyda’r beirniadu Cobiau Cymreig ar fferm Coedweddus, Llangadog; y beirniadu gwartheg duon Cymreig ar fferm teulu’r Francis Tynwaun, Gwynfe; ac yna’r beirniadu defaid Torddu ym Mart Llanymddyfri.

Jest gobeithio nawr y bydd y tywydd yn braf ar gyfer y diwrnod mawr fory. Fe gewch chi’r hanes i gyd wythnos nesaf!

Blog Meinir – 15-04-2013

Gyda ni newydd brofi’r mis Mawrth oeraf ers hanner can mlynedd, mae’r hinsawdd gyfnewidiol yma’n cael effaith andwyol arno ni fel amaethwyr. Roedd cyfartaledd tymheredd Prydain tua 2.5 gradd ym mis Mawrth, ac yn ôl y rhagolygon bydd yr ysbaid oer yn parhau hyd nes canol mis Ebrill.

Ni wedi cwyno digon adre ym Maesteilo wrth wyna am y diffyg porfa a’r tywydd, ond dyw ein sefyllfa ni yn y de yn ddim o’i gymharu â sefyllfa rhai ffermwyr sydd wedi dioddef yn enbyd oherwydd yr eira mawr yn ddiweddar. Amcangyfrif bod dros 25,000 o anifeiliaid wedi marw yn y Deyrnas Unedig hyd yn hyn.

Mae Alun Davies Gweinidog Cyfoeth Naturiol a Bwyd y Cynulliad, wedi cyhoeddi llacio rheolau claddu am bythefnos mewn saith sir yma yng Nghymru ond rhaid profi nad oedd modd i gerbyd cyrraedd y fferm.

Mae Llywodraethau’r Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon wedi llwyddo i gael cymorth ariannol i’w ffermwyr nhw sydd wedi colli anifeiliaid yn y lluwchfeydd, gyda ffermwyr yr Alban yn derbyn £500,000 a ffermwyr Gogledd Iwerddon yn derbyn 5 miliwn o bunnau.

Serch hynny, does dim cymorth ariannol ar y gorwel i Gymru hyd yma, a hyn mewn blwyddyn lle mae costau yn uwch a ffermwyr tiroedd llai ffafriol yn gweld colled enfawr heb y siec Tir Mynydd.

 

Blog Meinir – 20-03-2013

Ni bellach tua thri chwarter ffordd drwy’r cyfnod wyna ym Maesteilo ond yn brin iawn o un peth, sef porfa! Mae porfa yn sicrhau bod y defaid yn dal i gynhyrchu digon o laeth i fagu’r wyn y ffordd rataf, yn hytrach na bod rhaid i ni ddefnyddio dwysfwyd sydd wrth gwrs yn ddrud.

‘Mawrth a ladd, Ebrill a fling’ yw’r dywediad, gobeithio’n wir bydd y porfa’n tyfu er mwyn arbed hyn rhag digwydd.

Mae gormod o golledion wedi bod eleni ar hyd a lled y wlad o ganlyniad i’r firws Schmallenberg. Dwi wedi cael y profiad personol o golli oen ym Maesteilo oherwydd Schmallenberg ac roedd yn brofiad torcalonnus. Cafodd yr oen ei eni’n fyw, ond doedd dim gobaith iddo. Doedd yn methu bwydo wrth ei fam, sefyll ar ei draed ei hun, cerdded na phrancio fel yr wyn eraill ac felly rhaid oedd ei roi i gysgu.

I rai, mae’n siwr bod hynny’n ymddangos mor greulon, ond dyna oedd y peth gorau i’r oen yn y pendraw.

Mae nifer fawr o ffermwyr eraill wedi gorfod gwynebu profiadau llawer mwy hunllefus na ni ym Maesteilo. Mae gormod o lawer wedi colli nid yn unig cannoedd o wyn bach, ond hefyd rhai o’u defaid wrth iddyn nhw gael eu niweidio wrth roi genedigaeth. Mae rhai ffermwyr geifr a gwartheg hefyd yn ei chael hi’n anodd wrth golli’u hanifeiliaid oherwydd y firws.

Croesi bysedd y bydd brechlyn ar gael yn y dyfodol agos er mwyn helpu gwarchod ein hanifeiliaid yn erbyn y firws creulon hyn.

14 Mawrth 2013

Ar ôl saib o’r sgwennu, dwi nôl ac yn bwriadu cyfrannu’n gyson fel bo chi dal i glywed fy hanes nawr bod ‘Mis Maesteilo’ wedi dod i ben ar ‘Ffermio’.

Fel mae sawl un ohonoch chi eisoes yn gwybod, fe wnaeth teulu Maesteilo cynyddu cyn y Nadolig pan gafodd Osian, sef mab bach fy mrawd Eirian a’i gariad Jasmine ei eni draw yn Seland Newydd. Mae’r tri ohonyn nhw bellach wedi dychwelyd i fyw yng Nghymru fach am y tro.

Roedd yr amseru’n wych gan bod hi wrth gwrs yn dymor yr wyna. Roedd y teulu i gyd felly yn falch o weld fy mrawd yn cyrraedd adre er mwyn gallu ysgwyddo bach o’r baich! Mae’n gyfnod digon hir a chaled, ond eto i gyd yn bleserus iawn wrth feddwl am yr holl fywyd newydd sy’n cyrraedd y fferm. Does dim byd gwell na gweld wyn bach hapus allan ar y caeau, gyda’i mamau balch yn cadw llygaid barcud drostyn nhw.

A tebyg yw hi hefyd ym Maesteilo wrth i Mamgu, Tad-cu ac Anti Meinir ymfalchio yn y ffaith bod bywyd newydd yn llenwi’r aelwyd ac Osian bach yn rhan annatod o’r teulu bellach.

COB SALE RECORDS SHATTERED.

509 of the 665 (76%) Welsh cobs, ponies of cob-type and Welsh Part-breds offered on the Brightwells Autumn Cob Sale at the Royal Welsh Showground on October 19, 20 and 21 sold for a Sale total of £459,160 averaging £908 which is the highest average for the last five years boosted by the inclusion of 43 Welsh cobs from the famous Thorneyside Stud which realised a staggering £151,000 i.e. an average of £3,511. Without the inclusion of the Thorneyside consignment the average figure was £668 which is only slightly down on last year.

61 animals were sold for export led by 21 to Germany, 15 to Sweden, 7 each to Holland, Denmark and France and one each to Italy, Finland, Austria and Norway.

The atmosphere during the selling of the Thorneyside consignment was electric with much whistling and whooping enhanced by the renderings of the London Pearly Kings and Queens brought down specially for the occasion. The whole event was another successful brainchild of Brightwells Joint Managing Director Terry Court to add to his many previous lifetime successes.

Top of the Sale at £22,000 was the dun two-year-old colt Thorneyside Golden Boy sired by the dun Thorneyside Survivor who has won so many ridden classes for Debbie Baker of Pontyates. His g-dam Stormydown Dilys, bred by John and Sooraya Cooke, was brought back into the Stud twenty years ago since she had two Thorneyside parents. Golden Boy was bought by harness expert Miss Wenham of West Sussex. The previous Brightwells section D Autumn Sale records were set up by the females Tardebigge Estelle at £17,000 in 2005 and Pennal Calon Mai at £14,500 in 2006; the previous stallion record of £11,000 for Synod Robert Black having held for 12 years.

A few minutes previously the record was already broken when the four-year-old chestnut stallion Thorneyside Welsh Magic sold for £20,000 to Eirian Emanuel of Ponthenri, Llanelli who is a big “Thorneyside” fan having been very successful with his well-known Thorneyside The Real McCoy. Welsh Magic won his class of 22 entries at the 2010 Royal Welsh Show and was also champion at Glanusk that year.

The next record to go was that for foals when the chestnut colt Thorneyside Royal Command was absolutely stunning and sold for £16,000 to Mark Swistun of Llanmorlais, Gower. Royal Command is sired by Thorneyside The Saracen winner of many championships this year, produced by Justin Walters of Tredegar. The previous foal records were again for fillies, Abergavenny Princess Yasmin at £12,000 in 2008 and Cascob Powys Princess at £11,000 in 2006 with Haighmoor Dewi Sant being top colt at £5,400 in 2008. Mark Swistun also bought the bay filly foal Thorneyside Diamond Jubilee for £5,000; she is sired by the 1992 Royal Welsh champion Thorneyside Flyer who is now 27 years old. John, Bev and Jonathan Batt of Abergavenny bought Royal Command’s mother the six-year-old Thorneyside Debutante for £6,000; if she had been offered after her outstanding son, no doubt she would have cost a lot more!

Another chestnut four-year-old stallion Thorneyside Crusader  sold for £8,000 to John Townsend of Chesfield, Kent; top showman Gareth Andrew of Berriew, Welshpool paid £7,000 for the Thorneyside Flyer fourteen-year-old daughter Thorneyside First Lady and Mrs Groom of Maidenhead (later purchaser of the top section C) paid the same figure for the black yearling colt Thorneyside The Highwayman. Two other very promising chestnut colts were the three-year-old Thorneyside It’s Magic sold to Mrs Roberts of Wrexham for £6,000 and the yearling Thorneyside True Magic sold to Lee and Jack Bowerman of Ebbw Vale for £5,500.

Outside the Thorneyside consignment the next section D toppers at £5,000 were chestnuts, Barry White’s ten-year-old stallion Felinmor Distinction from the New Forest and Cerdin and Doreen Jones’ filly foal Synod Rosie’s Scarlet Ribbons from Talgarreg, Llandusul. Distinction was top-priced colt foal when bought from his breeders Keith and Llinos Spenser of Aberystwyth on these Sales and won at the Royal Welsh in 2008 and also many championships under saddle; he was bought by Mr Cumberland of Samuels Close Farm, Ispworth.

Cerdin and Doreen Jones are no strangers when it comes to Sale-topping foals, their palomino cob filly Synod Red and Gold sold for £5,200 in 2010 and of 15 top section C foals from 1992 to 2007, Synod fillies accounted for 11 of them! This time they had two elegant cob fillies Synod Rosie’s Scarlet Ribbons and the palomino Synod Rose Dixie Chick; Dr Etienne and Catherine Stevens of the Guinel Stud, France bought them both for £5,000 and £4,000.

As already stated, Mrs Groom was also the purchaser of the top section C at £6,500, this was Steve Davies’ charming aptly-named palomino filly foal Taincwm X Factor sired by Calvin Williams’ Caerneuadd Hywel who was also sire of another palomino filly foal Henfenyw Lucky Girl, also purchased by Mrs Groom. Next to Synod Relegance which sold for £11,000 in 2001, X Factor is the second-highest priced section C foal in 48 years of these Sales.

Notwithstanding her 16 years, the beautiful bay mare Parvadean Rosina sold for £5,000 to O M Davies and Son of the Tynwydd Stud, Beaumaris; her dam Synod Rhiannon is sister to this year’s Royal Welsh champion and South of England HOYS Cuddy qualifier Synod Ringlet’s Last. Rhian James of Pontyates, who has had considerable successes this year showing her section A’s, paid £2,200 for the four-year-old ridden mare Fencers Sweet Caroline. Two very promising yearling colts which could end up being influential overseas sires were the black roan son of Parvadean Recharge named Bairdmoor Pegasus which sold to Ilona Pykalainen of Finland for £1,800 and Veronica Layton’s Caebryn Harri QC, full-brother to the Royal Welsh youngstock champion Caebryn Endeavour, sold to the Chopin Stud, Denmark for £1,700. The eye-catching chestnut filly foal Popsters Dixie Chick was section C champion at the Glamorgan WPCA Foal Show the previous week and was bought for £1,400 by Tomos Howatson of Llansannan owner of this year’s Royal Welsh section A youngstock champion; he also bought the three-year-old section D filly Dunaire Dancing Angel for £4,200 and now has champions in three Welsh sections.

Welsh part-breds were sold on the Friday with a top price of £3,000 for the ridden five-year-old piebald mare Blaenmorlais My Lady sold to Mrs Ellerton of Whitchurch, Shropshire. A black filly foal Llanidan Pearly Queen by the Welsh cob stallion Gwenllan Bossy out of a Hackney mare sold for £2,300 to Mrs Lowe of Bracknell.

Wynne Davies