Gym allows Welsh farm to expand

Faced with many challenges about the future of their farm, one family in Wales have diversified in a way that strengthens the farm.

The great British countryside is somewhat the perfect setting for a fitness empire. It certainly provides an inspirational view, with numerous on-farm gyms popping up across the UK a business venture which could provide a healthy additional income.

Ahead of the curve, however, is Rhys Jones, who established his on-farm fitness business, Cattle Strength, over seven years ago.

Cattle Strength is now central to Dolbeudy farm, in Aberaeron, on the West coast of Wales, where Rhys has made use of the space and facilities already on the mixed farm.

He is the second generation to farm Dolbeudy, which has been in their family for 80 years. Rhys farms the 113 hectares (280 acres) alongside his father Andrew, running 500 Beulah Speckled Face sheep and 70 Holstein Friesians. But the decision to diversify was borne from his own passion for health and fitness. The gym is next door to the milking parlour and general farm sheds, but when building the gym, the family ensured it was big enough to fit tractors and store machinery in, should the new venture not work out.

He says: I did not like travelling an hour round trip to go to the gym, so I decided to open one on the farm.

"From that, I got asked by the local plumber who was working on the farmhouse if I would train him - and then his wife and friends.

"All of a sudden, I had a really big client base.

It took a bit of pressure off me and my dad because it was a nice boost for us financially. We have invested a lot into the farm, so it is nice to see both our businesses doing so well.

Rhys and Andrew do everything on the farm themselves; the tractor work, silage and sheep shearing, but since establishing Cattle Strength, Rhys has stepped back from doing a lot of the farm work and they have been able to employ a farm worker.

The farm is run in a traditional way, with the milking parlour in use installed 53 years ago.

Rhys says: Nothing is really modern, but it works for us well.

"We also do not overfeed the cows, we focus on doing really good silage every year. We get it nice and early, so we do not need to wait for contractors.

Mostly a closed herd, they clave all year round with milk going to Dairy Partners for making mozarella.

Sheep are lambed outdoors, opting for a tough breed to manage alongside the cows. The sheep are run on a grass-based system, lambing between March and April and sold directly to supermarkets.

The farm is not currently part of any environmental schemes but may consider them in the future right now, says Rhys, they do not feel they have done anything we would be able to benefit massively from.

It has been an unexpected extra for Rhys, being able to combine his passion for fitness with the family farm especially given his history which has seen him play rugby semi-professionally and professionally for Neath and Llandovery and the Ospreys.

And this venture is not just for himself - he and his wife, Katie, have three children, Hari, Jac and Lola, all who are under three years old and it was his family he had in mind when setting up this particular diversification.

He says: I really love my children growing up on a farm. I feel so lucky to be able to offer that to them.

"They are still young, so I cannot take full advantage of them helping me out with the shearing and things like that, but they are nearly there.

"I cannot wait for them to get involved and help and be part of the family farm.

He also wanted to create something for his eldest son Harri, who was born with Downs Syndrome. This has been quite the journey for them, but it has, says Rhys, made their whole family much stronger.

We did not expect it would happen to us. I did not have any idea about Downs Syndrome or anything like that.

"You go through every emotion when that happens. It hit us quite hard and so I took time off farming and the gym when we found out, he says.

Our lives have changed loads, from the way we think and talk, to our outlook on life.

"It also got me thinking about what Harris future would look like on the farm as sometimes it is not the most inclusive industry.

We really hope that Harri will have a big part on the farm. We do not want to set any boundaries on him, we really want to push him to see what he can do.

"And for the gym, I am envisioning Harri being part of the team, so when people come to use the gym, they get to meet Harri on reception and he can guide people where to go.

It gives my children the choice to either work on the farm or work in the gym or whatever else they may want to do, but it gives them options.

In terms of the future of the farm, Rhys is unsure whether they will keep the cows, once his father has retired due to lack of time, unless they install a robotic milking parlour.

But he is now in the process of planning to expand Cattle Strength by building a new, much bigger gym building at the farm entrance as he currently has 150 clients coming in week by week and about 150 clients online.

The new gym will be six times the size of what is in use at the moment and he has plans to run classes throughout the day, creating more jobs and linking with local companies such as milk producers and butchers to set up a farm shop.

It will provide the family with different income streams to ensure the future of both businesses.

As well as increasing his client base and revenue from the business, Rhys also wants the gym to promote equality and equal rights by spreading awareness about disabilities and Downs Syndrome.

He remains motivated to work with a lot of charities so the gym can be a hub where an inclusive environment is built.

Rhys and his wife document Harris journey on an Instagram account, @growingwithharri to help break the stigma surrounding Downs Syndrome.

He says: You do not really see a lot on social media and in the media generally about the agricultural space and promoting equality - well I do not anyway.

That is why I do post a lot about Harri on my social media and what Harri does, as I really want to show him off.

"People really follow Harri, people who do not know me will come up to me in the street and ask how Harri is and I love that. If the world of farming could be the same, I would be happy that he is in good hands.

Farm facts

• Second generation to farm at Dolbeudy across 280 acres.
• 500 Speckled Face sheep and 70 Holstein Friesian dairy cows.
• Lamb outdoors between March and April and calve all year round.
• Sell to dairy partners and milk goes to make mozzarella, averaging around 7,000 litres of milk a year.
• Diversified and set up Cattle Strength gym in 2015. The business now has around 300 clients seen on a weekly basis.
• New gym building being built ready for summer 2023.