Rhys Millichap from Rhiwgarn fach farm,Tonyrefail,Rhondda Cynon Taf,Glamorgan farms with his parents and sister on their hill farm where they have 100 suckler cows and welsh hill sheep
Rhys’s passion for blues started a good few years ago,where he would travel to shows and markets finding out all he could about the Belgian Blue as they were known then.
It was 2003 when Rhys bought his first female . This was an outfit out of Chelford, Bringlee Sovette with a Visconti heifer calf at foot costing 1500gns.
In 2004, he also bought Chytodden Uptowngirl for £2000.
Rhys quietly went on and started to make those female’s work for him where he got many embryos and quality cattle on the ground.
In 2009 he took his first bull to Carlisle, Rhymil Caradog , where he was sold for 6000gns.
Also at that sale in 2009 he spotted another female, Lakeview Dancer and was lucky enough to purchase her for 3500gns. Dancer has been a great part of the herd producing many embryos , using different sires and giving Rhys some great cattle.
Dancer has produced his females, Heidi, Highness, Imogen more recently Kylie who was successfully shown by Rhys when she was a young heifer, winning all the Royal shows except the Highland which he didnt attend. Kylie was sold privately to the Alford family for their daughter to start breeding blues.
Great bloodlines have been used throughout and many hours of researching sires to use .
Back in 2012 from the Paulern dispersal another female was bought , Paulern Audrey. She has also done well and produced some very good cattle.
In 2014 Rhymil Hugo Boss was taken to Chelford blue show and sale and he made 6000gns.
Another bull was taken to Carlisle, Rhymil Jagerbomb where he went on to be Champion and went on to make 12000gns.
More recently Rhys had a production sale in Welshpool at the end of November 2017 where he took a small selection of quality females,
Rhymil Madonna a 5 month old heifer sold for 6500gns ,
Rhymil Limited Edition 4500gns
Embryos to 650gns
Having visited rhys recently he told me that his aim is to keep moving forward with the British Blues and produce what the market requires, he is planning to buy recipient’s this year and plant embryos that he has stored . Some existing blood lines and some new. One bull Rhys has identified for future flushing is Cromwell Fendt and he has recently secured some straws, along with a few bulls from the past which he feels will work well on his more modern British Blue type females.
He will continue to show at top shows and his local ones to support the breed and promote both his own cattle and the breed.
Rhys Millichap has a plan for the Future, with a stock of valuable embryos in store he plans to implant a few in 2018 to build up the herd and continue the success. Currently a representative for Carrs Billington agriculture Rhys enjoys the off farm work and that helps him get an ‘outside’ perspective on the Beef industry.
His aim for the future? To win the Royal Highland !! At the end of our interview Rhys mentions one of his next goals is to get a bull into an AI Stud !!! (watch this space)
Good luck for the future Rhys and Thank you
Sally Lloyd
