A sheep farmer from Llandysul, Carmarthenshire, has received the 2022 John Gittins Memorial Award for his excellent contributions to the Welsh sheep business.

Lionel Organ, who has farmed at Tymaen Farm for the previous 25 years, can be introduced with the award on the opening ceremony of the Royal Welsh Winter Truthful on Monday (November 28).

Lionel Organ

Judges Alwyn Rees, representing the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society; Richard Thomas, from the Welsh Mule Sheepbreeders Affiliation; and Kate Hovers, from the Nationwide Sheep Affiliation (NSA) Wales selected Organ in recognition of his lifetime contribution to the Welsh sheep business.

Organ has had many achievements over time, together with having judged Charollais sheep at each Royal Present within the UK (twice on the Royal Welsh); having judged the Lleyn breed on the 2003 Royal Welsh Present and in 2011; and judged the Interbreed Pairs, once more on the Royal Welsh Present.

He has additionally received many competitions along with his flock, together with a number of Champions on the Royal Welsh Present and his breeding has gone on to win on the Royal Highland Present and on the Nice Yorkshire Present.

Sheep farmer

Organ ran a big Charollais flock of 450 ewes for 30 years, all the time striving to provide a Charollais breed sheep suited to the business in addition to the pedigree breeder, and a breed that’s extra able to thriving within the Welsh local weather.

With the Charollais breed being signet recorded, he deliberate to carry common manufacturing gross sales for the Charollais on-farm in a purpose-built sheep shed. 

In 2000, he held his first on-farm feminine productive sale, aimed on the pedigree breeder, and continued with biannual gross sales up till the dispersal gross sales in 2009 and 2010, with patrons from all corners of the British Isles. 

Organ has all the time careworn how vital exhibiting as a store window for breeders has helped with displaying his finest produce, particularly on the Royal Welsh Present.

For the reason that dispersal of the Charollais flock, he has centered on his breeding abilities on perfecting a modern-type Lleyn. He now runs a Lleyn flock of 200 ewes, which was established in 1985.

He selects for tights skins, size and improved conformation, in a position to rear two lambs with their mixed weight equal to/or heavier than their mom at 12 weeks of age fully off grass (75/80kg).