Young farmers Daniel Downes and Aled Davies succeeded in their bid to prove they have what it takes to secure a successful tenancy by winning the prestigious National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs’ (NFYFC) Farm Business Development Competition at the Royal Show.

 

Members of Llangeitho YFC, Ceredigion, the pair secured their win by producing a viable business plan and tender for the case study farm and by satisfying industry experts during interview.  They satisfied a panel of judges which included George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) and Clive Beer, director of Savills West Midlands, that their tender would produce a healthy profit from the farm during the 15-year tenancy period.

 

Dan Downes said: “The competition provided an ideal chance to really think hard about costs on such a large scale, and how we could go about making money on the farm. Taking time to work through all the pros and cons of the different opportunities available, as well as the interview process provided a completely unique perspective, one which will stand us in good stead for years to come, and of course, it’s always great to bring some silverware back to Wales!”

 

Sponsor and judge, George Dunn, commented: "The TFA is extremely proud to be supporting the NFYFC through our sponsorship of its Farm Business Development Competition.  The purpose of the competition is to create a realistic scenario which allows competitors to make a bid for a tenancy of a holding on a competitive basis.  Through taking part we hope that the competitors learned vital skills which will assist them in real-world opportunities.  The judging panel put each of the teams through a rigorous interview process acting as the representatives of the land owner offering the tenancy.  It is no exaggeration to say that the quality of both the written and oral presentations, particularly by the first three placed teams, was exceptionally high.  There was very little dividing the top three teams who had all created sustainable, focused and deliverable strategies for forming the holding. 

 

However, at interview, the winning team from Ceredigion showed just enough extra drive, passion and enthusiasm from the second placed team, Carmarthenshire to win the day.  Herefordshire were a worthy third place with a plan that could have won the day if it were not for the strength of the presentations of the top two teams."

 

Aled Davies added: "The whole competition process - the initial farm visit, writing a business plan for a farm on such a large scale, to the challenging interview and feedback we received has been a fantastic experience. Winning the competition feels really special and we look forward to developing the skills that we have learnt and applying them to everyday life."

Sponsored by the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), the competition simulates a real life potential letting and pits the competitors against each other to find out who would be offered the farm.  Using a case study scenario of the Warwickshire College Farm, the competition is designed to develop and improve business skills. Winners are rewarded with scholarships to the 2009 Oxford Farming Conference and membership of the TFA.

 

The competition took place during the Royal Show on Friday, 4 July and an awards ceremony was held at the Farmers’ Club Pavilion on the showground concourse. 

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