John Davies’ family has farmed in the hills and valleys of mid Wales just north of Brecon since the 19th century and his most cherished times now are when he is working shoulder to shoulder with his 91-year-old father, Elwyn, and 20-year-old son, Brychan. “That’s incredibly rewarding,” says Davies, 55. “There’s a balance there. Dad has seen it all, done it all. Brychan brings in the new things from college. It’s good to see that blend of experience and ambition and I’m in the middle, the bridge. “Family farming businesses are incredibly important in Wales, the backbone of our industry. We don’t have a large agribusiness kind of structure but we’ve lived in these hills for six generations and we’d like to see it carry on for another six. It’s about community, culture and language. It’s about building for each generation.” But that building will not be straightforward. “This is a period of great volatility,” says Davies, who is standing down as president of NFU Cymru after four years in office. “We need to work incredibly hard to make sure we get a fair deal.” The future of the Welsh family farm does appear to hang in the balance. Post-Brexit trade deals with countries such as New Zealand and Australia make sheep and beef farmers worry that they will not be able to compete with cheaper imports. Other pressures – and temptations – include the corporations circling family farms, buying up their land to plant acres of trees to offset their carbon emissions. Estate agents have cold-called farmers in Davies’ neighbourhood asking if they want to sell up. “We do need to plant trees, but we need to make sure we do not lose farms to greenwashing operations,” said Davies. And farmers are feeling the pressure from environmental campaigners, many of whom would prefer re-wilding schemes to take the place of traditional sheep and cattle farms. “We have to get away from the idea that cows and sheep are bad and woodland is good,” says Davies. “It does not move the argument forward when you talk about sheep-wrecked landscapes. That is deeply offensive to our communities and culture. We’ve got to move the debate to a different place.” The fragility of the farming life is keenly felt in Davies’ village, Merthyr Cynog. It nestles beneath the upland of Mynydd Epynt, once a vibrant farming community that was cleared in 1940 to make way for a military training ground. The 219 inhabitants of the 54 farms had just three months to pack up and leave. Livelihoods, a way of life and, to a large extent, the Welsh language were wrecked. Elwyn Davies, who was a young boy when his family was forced to move, said it led to huge changes. “It was good land, quite steep but fertile. Everyone had a few acres and worked well together. Everything was disrupted, a whole community gone. It took many years to rebuild.” Conscious that farms across Wales are under threat, the UK government’s Welsh affairs committee has launched an inquiry into their future, examining not just the economic aspects but the damage the loss of every farm does to the local community. Its members heard that while, according to the last census, about 19% of people in Wales speak Welsh, more than 40% of workers in the farming industry speak the language. Welsh farming heartlands tend to also be the language strongholds. While Elwyn speaks Welsh, John does not, largely as a result of the clearance. The revival of the language in schools now means that Brychan does speak Welsh. “For the language to prosper, farming is key,” said John. “When we’re at the market in Dolgellau, Welsh is the main language. You get a better deal if you can haggle in Welsh.” Davies is proud of the work his farm does to improve the environment, from planting trees on steep ground that cannot be used for growing crops to creating new ponds and wetlands. “As an industry we have a clear ambition to be net zero by 2040 and provide the most climate-friendly food in the world,” he said. He remains hopeful. “We’ll have to evolve, adapt, deliver what is wanted but we have a great climate to grow food, a fantastic climate. And if we’re backed into a corner we’ll make a stand.” Yet another problem for Welsh farming is demographics. The average age of a farmer in Wales is 60 and only 3% are under 35. That makes the attitude of people like John so crucial. Like his father, young Brychan is optimistic. “People are always going to need food and the issue of food miles is a big one. I don’t think we’ll going anywhere anytime soon.”