A Pembrokeshire farmer and his nephew are in the final round of the national Excellence in Farming awards.

Geraint Davies and his nephew Richard have been named regional finalists in the ForFarmers Excellence in Farming Awards, as a result of their attention to detail and continual drive for improvement.

The pair, finalists in the Youngstock Producer of the Year category, run a 600-cow dairy alongside a contracting business at Pencwarre, near Crymych, and have been commended for their approach to the all-important heifer-rearing phase.

Richard manages the youngstock rearing and is focused on the heifers achieving a target calving age of 24 months. He has strict protocols in place to monitor and check progress.

These include colostrum testing and data recording on the dams of all heifer calves, with regular weighing throughout the rearing period to ensure each calf is reaching the target weight for their age.

ForFarmers youngstock specialist, Ann Coombes, was one of the judges in this category: “I was so impressed with the attention to detail and passion Richard has for the youngstock; he’s doing the job well. I wish them all the best and have great pleasure in putting them through to the final judging stage.”

All regional finalists go head-to-head with other farmers from across the country at the final round of the competition in London at the end of November, where one will be crowned the national winner.