IT will be the end of an era at a Denbighshire site.

Gareth Jones, Rhug Estate’s farm manager, will celebrate a significant work anniversary next year having been employed by the estate for 30 years.

With that major milestone comes Mr Jones' decision that it is time for him to hang up his boots and take life a little easier.

Rhug Estate now has the difficult task of finding a suitable replacement for this prestigious position of farm manager at the estate.

A lot of changes have taken place during Mr Jones' time at Rhug.

When he started in 1993 the then Lord Newborough was farming conventionally. They had 3,000 sheep and 60 acres of barley.

The system was low input and output and Mr Jones was one of Rhug Estate’s nine staff.

During his time as farm manager, the farm has grown into a diverse business and increased in size from 930 hectares to two farms covering just over 2,700 hectares, producing beef, lamb, salt marsh lamb, chickens, turkeys, geese, venison and a small herd of bison.

Other activities on the estate include carbon capture, green energy, a retail sector including a farm shop and butchery, a wholesale enterprise selling meat produced on the farm, skincare, and mining crypto currency.

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Mr Jones said: “The years have flown by.

"My job title is the same as when I started all those years ago but my job is nothing like when I started.

"Both farming policies and the farm have had some interesting changes over the years and are constantly evolving to keep me on my toes.

"I still enjoy coming to work every day and work with a great team of staff.

"I can honestly say there is never a dull moment and the challenges keep coming.”

 

Denbighshire Free Press: Gareth Jones, farm manager at Rhug Estate.Gareth Jones, farm manager at Rhug Estate.

 

It was in 1998 that the current Lord Newborough took over the estate from his late father and decided to farm the land organically.

Mr Jones managed that transition, which was a two-year conversion period.

Lord Newborough said: “Gareth and I have worked together for so many years.

"Thank you Gareth for all your loyalty and support to me and your total dedication to Rhug over the decades.

"The respect and admiration from everyone who surrounds you has no boundaries and your achievements surpass any gratitude I can summon up to mention, other than to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

"I am so grateful for everything you have done over those years.”

He added: “We have started the process to find a suitable replacement for Gareth and we would welcome applications from anyone interested in filling the role.

"We want the new farm manager to have the opportunity to work alongside Gareth before he retires so the transition for the farm and the team is seamless.”

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From an early age, Mr Jones knew he wanted to work in agriculture, but he was the son of an accountant so there was no farm for him to inherit or learn the ropes.

After leaving school he worked on a dairy farm for a year before attending Aberystwyth College where he gained a HND in agriculture.

Whilst studying he did a sandwich year on a beef and sheep farm in Brecon, where he met his future wife, Fran - his boss’s daughter!

After qualifying from Aberystwyth College, Gareth went to farm in New Zealand for seven months and he then had a couple of jobs managing farms in mid and south east Wales.

He also worked for MLC for two years as a beef specialist before taking the position with the Rhug with his then wife and two children – Catrin and Huw – Huw now works as a photographer with Rhug Estate.

Gareth did a HCC Scholarship in 2000 in New Zealand.

He was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Agricultural Societies (FRAgS) in 2010. He chaired the CARAS (Council for Awards of the Royal Agricultural Societies) Wales panel between 2016 and 2018. He has chaired the Welsh region of the Moredun Foundation and has also been chairman of the Regional Chairs Committee.

For a copy of the job description, contact Teleri Jones at telerijones@rhug.co.uk or 01490 410000.

To apply for the position, applicants can send a full CV and cover letter to Gareth Jones at garethjones@rhug.co.uk and copy in lordnewborough@rhug.co.uk