A HEREFORDSHIRE farmer has been highlighted for his continuous work to improve the health and productivity of his cattle.

Matt Cleland is one of the latest farmers to be nominated for an award at the Farming Awards, run by the Hereford Times and Three Counties Farmer.

Mr Cleland, who farms near Dinedor, south of Hereford, was nominated by the team at Belmont Farm Vets for the Cattle Farmer of the Year award.

They said: “Matt is a young farmer with his hands well and truly full with a young family, a 320 cow spring calving suckler unit, a pig unit and an arable enterprise.

“He has a great focus on efficiency and has been focusing on improving performance on the beef unit taking the calving pattern down from 16 to seven weeks over the last five years.

“This has been as a result of improved management of his heifers and through strategies to improve herd fertility. This now means the herd is productive with more total kilogram of beef sold.

“Matt continues to look at ways he can further improve the health and productivity with adoption of strategies to improve pneumonia control and fluke in recent seasons.

“He is a great farmer with a can do attitude.”

The aim of the awards is to raise the profile of the farming communities in the Three Counties, with a ceremony expected to be held later this year.

Awards entries are invited from across Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

To submit a nomination for an award visit herefordtimes.com/awards/tcf

Hereford Times: