Flanker Dan Lydiate underlined the valuable contribution farming makes to Welsh international rugby by being named Six Nations player of the tournament after playing a major part in Wales's 2012 Grand Slam triumph.

Dan, 23, is known for having used his family’s farm at Abbeycwmhir, near Llandrindod Wells, as his unofficial training ground but he is not the only current Welsh rugby international with strong farming links.

Another contender for the player of the tournament accolade, Mike Phillips, was brought up on his family's farm, Parc yr Abbot, St Clears, near Carmarthen, now run by his brother and Farmers' Union of Wales member Mark.

And there are two other players further north now making their name in Welsh rugby's top tiers and FUW president Emyr Jones has just visited them at their home farms in Meirionnydd.

They are 20-year-old Scarlets prop Rhodri Jones, named in the senior Wales training squad for the match versus Australia last December, and 26-year-old Elen Evans, who has played for the Wales women's team 39 times since making her debut against Italy in 2004.

Rhodri and Elen's parents are also staunch FUW members. His mother and father Trevor and Mair Jones farm at Gwerniago, Pennal, near Machynlleth, while her parents Aled and Catherine Evans run Ty'n Celyn farm less than 20 miles away at Dinas Mawddwy.

Rhodri is one of four players from north and midWalesmaking a name for themselves at the Scarlets. The others are Andy Fenby (Llandudno), Rob McCusker (Wrexham) and, of course, try-scoring Welsh winger George North (Anglesey).

Rhodri went to college with George in Llandovery and they are good team-mates at Parc y Scarlets. They even share a flat together.

Wales assistant coach (forwards), Anglesey-born Robin McBryde, has described Rhodri as an impressive youngster who can play on both sides of the scrum and is definitely one for the future in terms of planning towards the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Ex-Welsh hooker McBryde, who coached Rhodri during his time on the Scarlets staff last season, added: "He is developing well and is a physical specimen who has all the attributes and the values that you need to succeed at this level."

Standing 6ft 3in tall and weighing in at just over 18st, you can't argue with that.

Dolgellau women's rugby team stalwart Elen made a huge impact on her return to the international stage from injury by scoring a fine try as the Wales’ women’s team ensured a hat-trick of victories over Italy with a convincing 30-13 triumph at the Millennium Stadium on March 10.

The match report on the Welsh Rugby Union website stated: "Centre Evans, making her first start of this year’s championship, brought real stability to theWalesmidfield, and her partnership with Naomi Thomas proved to be a constant threat to the Italian team. The 26-year-old marked her keenly-anticipated return from injury by scoring a try in the first half of this encounter."

Elen works as a service adviser at her uncle's Dolgellau garage and regularly makes the arduous 250-mile round trip toCardiffto train with the Welsh women's rugby squad. She, too, is a versatile player and can play as a centre or wing.

Speed obviously runs through the family as her uncle is Gwyndaf Evans, one ofWales's best rally drivers in recent history.

Elen joined a select band when she sprinted over for a hat trick of tries against Scotland in last year's 2011 Six Nations championship. She finished that campaign with four tries to become the squad's highest scorer of the championship.

Emyr Jones said: "Both Rhodri and Elen are a credit to Welsh farming and their families. Their unbounded dedication to their chosen sport proves that if you really want to succeed the opportunities are out there.

"I am proud that we have young people of such high calibre helping to putWalesand particularly Welsh farming firmly on the world stage. Their families must be applauded for supporting them so unselfishly."

Following the success of the first ever Wales YFC and the National Trust Eryri Scholarship last year, the search has begun for the second Llyndy Isaf Scholar.

The scholarship gives the successful applicant the chance to run a 614 acre upland livestock unit in the Nant Gwynant Valley known as Llyndy Isaf.

FUW agricultural education and training committee chairman Alun Edwards said: "The FUW  strongly supports initiatives to encourage young and new entrants into agriculture and the chance to run Llyndy Isaf for a  year will give the successful applicant great skills and experience and an important first step onto the farming ladder."

The scholarship provides the winning individual with formal and informal training, accommodation, a farm vehicle and a £16,000 salary.

"This provides the ideal opportunity for a YFC member to gain hands on experience in business skills, stock management and animal husbandry," added Mr Edwards.

Interested individuals can attend one of two open days at Llyndy Isaf to see the facilities and speak to the current scholar Caryl Hughes.

Applications close on Friday May 2.  YFC members aged 18 to 26 are urged to apply.

Further information and an application pack containing a role profile and guidance pack is available from the Wales YFC Centre and to download from the website at www.yfc-wales.org.uk.

A West Wales farmers' leader today appealed for offers of help to transport much-needed forage to Somerset farmers still suffering the effects of flooding.

After leading a delivery of 110 hay and silage bales -each weighing 800 kilos - to Sedgemoor market this morning for distribution to farmers struggling to feed livestock, Farmers' Union of Wales Ceredigion county chairman Aled Rees said he had pledges from farmers to make up a further four similar loads.

"We are now looking for more hauliers to help us out, particularly in the Aberystwyth area, from where we have had the latest generous pledges of forage," he said.

The 90 tonnes of forage already delivered to Somerset was donated by farmers in the south Ceredigion and north Pembrokeshire area.

It was delivered free of charge by hauliers Geraint Morris, Castell Malgwyn Farm, Llechryd; Oliver Lewis, of Cardigan; and Lyndon Jones, Rhos, Llangeler.

"And more local businesses - including Phil Rees of M4 Trailers, Llanarthne, near Carmarthen; J & E Rees Tractors of Drefach-Velindre; A & M Engineering of St Clears; and Llew Rees of Gamallt Concrete, Cardigan - have made financial pledges towards the cost of the next consignment later this week," said Mr Rees.

He added that it was very important to help other farmers in the current crisis.

"They can't turn out their animals because the water hasn't been receding as they thought it would and where it has receded there's an awful mess there.

"The grass has rotted away. There's all sorts of debris on the fields, fences have washed away and there's quite a bit of mess down there.

"Unfortunately it's the time of year when people normally turn stock out onto fields and close fields off for silage and hay."

He said the deliveries were a way of repaying the favour when farmers from England helped those in mid and north Wales hit by unseasonal heavy snow exactly a year ago.

[caption id="attachment_2803" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The first consignment of forage from West Wales being unloaded at Sedgemoor market off an Owen Lewis & Son articulated lorry from Eglwyswrw, Cardigan[/caption]

THE Farmers' Union of Wales today revealed efforts they have made to persuade Environment Agency Wales (EAW) to cancel controversial claims of up to £17,000 sent to North-West Wales farmers for land drainage works have been successful.

Marshland farmers in parts of Anglesey, Meirionnydd and the Conwy Valley were up in arms last year when EAW issued demands - backdated over six years and ranging in value from £12 to £17,000 - for maintenance work carried out on drainage ditches.

Described as Internal Drainage District (IDD) payments, the bills came out of the blue and angered those who received them who claimed much of the ditch clearance work came to a stop in 2000, four years after responsibilities under the Land Drainage Act 1991 transferred to EAW from the now defunct National Rivers Authority.

FUW's Anglesey county branch raised the issue with EAW with the assistance of the union's land agents - Davis Meade Property Consultants Ltd - and landowners have just been informed that due to "a number of practical difficulties" EAW are cancelling all invoices issued in April 2011 for outstanding charges up to 31 March 2012.

"If you are one of the people who have already paid this bill you will receive a full refund in the near future," EAW stated.

Residents within the Malltraeth Marsh IDD on Anglesey met on numerous occasions since receiving their invoices back in May 2011 and formed a group to discuss the way forward and how to go about challenging the bills.

Group chairman Iolo Owen welcomed the news and said he was “extremely pleased at the way Davis Meade had challenged every aspect of the bills”.

He also thanked FUW Anglesey county executive officer Heidi Williams for administering all the meetings and discussions.

"This case proves that such agencies as the EA are not always in the right and, thankfully, common sense has prevailed on this occasion,” Mr Owen added.

Welsh farmers will be extremely disappointed that the Chancellor ignored mounting pressure to cut fuel duty in today's Budget, Farmers' Union of Wales president Emyr Jones said.

"Although he announced the fuel duty rise planned for September will not happen, we are naturally concerned that he didn't go further and cut duty by a few pence in a budget aimed at 'building a resilient economy'.

"The biggest expense for farmers and anyone else living in rural areas is fuel costs so it is extremely disappointing that his decision to freeze duty for a fourth year will do little to help businesses in our rural communities to prosper.

"Fuel costs are unavoidable and are becoming more and more difficult to bear for those living and working in rural areas," Mr Jones added.

Welcoming the Chancellor's decision to increase the maximum tax relief - from £250,000 to £500,000 - under the Government's Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) scheme, Mr Jones said it would highlight that many agricultural and construction firms are unaware of how much they are entitled to claim against newly-purchased machines and are already missing out.

"A recent survey by machinery manufacturers JCB revealed that out of 250 businesses surveyed only five (two per cent) correctly answered that they could claim through the scheme so it would have helped considerably if the Chancellor had announced it was to become permanent to allow rural industries to make proper future plans.

"The JCB survey showed there's confusion in the construction and agricultural sectors over the size and eligibility of the available tax relief. It seems that some financial advisers have been slow in coming to terms with the new rules and some tax-saving opportunities have already been lost.”

The Farmers' Union of Wales today urged farmers to make their views known on CAP reform by attending open meetings organised across Wales by Farming Connect over the next month.

The four meetings, to be attended by Natural Resources and Food Minister Alun Davies, will be held on Thursday  March 20 at the lecture theatre, Llysfasi College, Ruthin Rd, Ruthin, LL15 2LB; on Thursday  March 27 at Hafod a Hendre, Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, LD2 3SY; on Thursday  April 3 at Nantyffin Hotel and Motel, Llandissilio, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, SA66 7SU and on Monday  April 7 at the lecture theatre, Glynllifon College, Clynnog Rd, Glynllifon, Gwynedd, LL54 5DU.

FUW president Emyr Jones said: “We know it is a busy time of year for farmers, many of whom are busy lambing, but these meetings provide a good opportunity for farmers to question the Minister on all aspects of the CAP reforms and I would urge people to attend.”

The meetings will all run from 7.30pm until 9pm, with tea and coffee served at the end.

FUW members are urged to book their spaces by contacting Einir Davies on 01970 636297 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.