Farming Connect

Farming Connect provides tailored one-to-one support, knowledge, expertise, training and advisory services to farming and forestry businesses across Wales. 

Designed to help you and your family run your business more efficiently, Farming Connect is funded by the Welsh Government and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development as part of the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-13 .

Farming Connect is made up of a number of projects. We manage the Skills Development Programme element but you could also benefit from the Whole Farm Plan , Farm Advisory Service  and fully-funded services including development programmes, strategic awareness events, planning surgeries and Agrisgôp.

We manage the Skills Development Programme element of Farming Connect, which will fund you, your family members and paid employees to learn new skills and develop existing ones.

Once you are registered with Farming Connect we will put you in touch with one of our Welsh based Skills Co-ordinators  who will:

• Work with you to carry out a FREE skills assessment to identify your training needs
• Put you in touch with one of our approved providers and colleges so you can start your training now
• Help you make the most of the 80% funding available.

To take advantage of Farming Connect you must:

• Have a County Parish Holding (CPH) number
• Have a Customer Reference Number (CRN)
• Work in excess of 550 hours per year.
• Have a current Better Woodlands for Wales (BWW) number if in forestry
• Be registered with Farming Connect before you can book any training.  Call now on 08456 000 813.

We have a range of courses available from our list of approved training providers and colleges - all are 80% funded however we must approve the funding first.

We fund courses in a number of areas including:

• Managements skills – Accounts, budgets, managing people
• Pest and disease control – pesticides
• Health and safety – First aid, health and safety
• Enterprise skills – Butchery, marketing
• Lift trucks and plant – Dumpers, lift trucks, rough terrain
• Livestock husbandry – Livestock in transit, nutrition
• Equipment use – Chainsaws, welding
• Vehicle operation – Trailer towing, tractor driving.