Who are you / Pwy wyt ti?
My name is Lliwen Williams, I am a second-year student studying Agri-Business at Harper Adams University. I’m 19 years old and live in a small rural village near Llanrwst situated in North Wales. My role within Harper Cymru is to promote the society through social media.
Fy enw i yw Lliwen Williams ac yn fy ail mlwyddyn ym Mrifysgol Harper Adams yn astudio Amaeth a Busnes. Rwyn 19 mlwydd oed ac yn byw yn Ogledd Cymru mewn pentre’ gwledig ger Llanrwst. Fy rôl o fewn Harper Cymru yw hybu’r gymdeithas ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol.
How did your interest in agriculture start? / Sut wnaeth eich diddordeb o fewn amaeth ddechrau?
As I didn’t live on a farm, I was up on my grandparent’s farm at every opportunity, which used to be nearly every weekend and school holidays. When I was younger, I used to be responsible for the pet lambs and I was allowed to keep one which I called ‘Gwenno’.
In 2020 when covid struck and the national lockdown was in place, I wasted no time and went to live with my grandparents for 6 months. From then on, I knew that the agricultural industry was something I really wanted to get involved with.
Gan nad oeddwn yn byw ar fferm, ac ar bob cyfle roeddwn yn ei gael mi fyddwn I fyny ar ffarm fy Nain a Thaid ger Penmachno. Roedd hyn fel arfer ar benwythnosau a gwyliau ysgol. Yr wyn llyweth oedd fy nghyfrifoldeb pan yn ieuanc ac wrth i mi dyfu fyny cefais gadw oen o’r enw ‘Gwenno’.
Yn 2020 pan darodd cofid es i fyw ar y fferm am gyfnod o 6 mis, ac o hynny roeddwn yn gwybod fy mod eisiau dilyn gyrfa yn y diwydiant amaeth.
My grandparents live on a farm in Cwm Penmachno where they farm over 500 sheep and 30 Pedigree Welsh Black cattle. Since I was young, I had a keen interest in agriculture, and I was always on hand to help with lambing. Once I passed my driving test, I was up on the farm as often as I could be. We lamb around 200 crosses in the shed while the other pure Welsh mountain sheep lamb outside.
I have been given more responsibilities as I’ve grown older, and manage the lambing shed alongside my grandfather. I have my own pedigree flock of Zwartbles which lamb late February to early March, and I have shown them in small local shows when I was younger.
Mae’r fferm wedi ei leoli yng Nghwm Penmachno lle mae fy Nhaid a Nain yn ffarmio dros 500 o ddefaid ac oddeutu 30 o wartheg Duon Cymreig. Roedd wedi cael diddordeb mawr wedi mewn amaeth ers bod yn ifanc, ac roeddwn wastad ar gael i helpu a’r wyna. Ar ol I mi basio fy mhrawf gyrru roeddwn i fyny ar y ffarm yn fwy aml. Yn y tu fewn rydym yn wyna tua 200 o ddefaid croes, ac mae’r defaid mynydd Cymreig i gyd yn wyna tu allan.
Wrth i mi dyfu i fyny mae fy nghyfrifoldebau wedi cynyddu ac rwyf nawr yn rheoli’r sied wyna efo Nhaid. Mae gennyf diadell fy hun o ddefaid Zwartbles sydd yn wyna diwedd mis Chewfror i ddechra Mawrth.
Why Harper? / Pam Harper?
I decided to stay in 6th form and studied Psychology, Welsh, and Business. I have always had an interest in agriculture, but I was also interested in following a career as a primary school teacher.
In year 13, I had to make the tough choice of picking what I wanted to do. I applied for only 3 courses – one in Aberystwyth, and two here in Harper. I was overwhelmed as I got accepted to all three the day before my birthday, which was a great relief, and I have never looked back!
Choosing Harper Adams has been one of the best decisions I ever made, Harper is like a home away from home. Coming from a rural area, moving to a city or a large busy town was not my thing, which was why Harper appealed to me. Harper Cymru is also a society I recommend you join if you come from Wales, as we all socialize, and everyone knows each other!
What are your plans for the future? / Beth yw eich cynlluniau ar gyfer y dyfodol?
In my third year, I must go on placement for at least 10 months. I still haven’t sorted my placement, but I am hoping to stay close to home. I’m still not sure what I would like to do after graduating from Harper Adams, but I want to develop our family farm back at home and hopefully become an agricultural consultant/advisor. I would like to travel for at least 6 months after graduating and learn new skills and experiences within the agricultural industry.
Yn fy nhrydydd flwyddyn mae’n rhaid mynd ar leoliad gwaith am 10-12 mis. Rwy’n gobeithio aros yn weddol agos i adra, gan obeithio daw lleoliad addas I fyny yn fuan. Ar ôl graddio o Harper Adams rwy’n gobeithio mynd I drafeilio am o leia 6 mis er mwyn derbyn profiadau sy’n ymwneud ar diwydiant amaeth. Nid wyf yn sicr pa lwybr gyrfaol ‘rwyf am ei ddilyn ar hyn o bryd, mae swydd fel ymgynghorydd amaethyddol yn apelio I mi!