Providing advice for an innovative multimedia drama production about Welsh farming's problems of the past year has helped the Farmers' Union of Wales Carmarthenshire executive officer and her staff retain the union's annual Owen Slaymaker Award for promoting the union.
Presenting the award to Meinir Bartlett, FUW deputy president Glyn Roberts said: "Amongst the activities of the winning county, led by the county executive officer supported by all her loyal staff, were the production of Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru's Tir Sir Gâr, the quality of responses to consultation papers and relationships with the Press.
"Our agricultural policy, public relations and administration departments assess each county before deciding the winner of the Owen Slaymaker Award on the basis of what's been achieved during the year and who has gone that extra mile on behalf of members.
"They look for quality of policy consultation responses, press contributions and promoting the union and its activities at every opportunity whilst taking good care of members' needs."
Seventeen years ago Mrs Bartlett succeeded Mr Slaymaker who was the FUW's Carmarthenshire county secretary from 1970-90 and county executive officer from 1990-91 when he died in office.
During the past 12 months flooding, bovine TB and cheap imports - plus the recent horsemeat scandal - have all increased the problems normally faced by the farming industry and continue to threaten livelihoods throughout rural Wales.
So when Mrs Bartlett was approached by the creators of Tir Sir Gâr - who wanted to tackle the challenges faced by a fictional farming family but with an authentic voice - she helped set up interviews for them with real farmers.
They met one FUW member who had three sons but none of them wanted to take over the farm. Another farmer had four daughters and the youngest was going to take over the farm.
The play deals with a family facing a crisis after the father suffers a brain haemorrhage, prompting them to consider who will inherit the farm and how they will continue on running it.
It was first performed in April at St Peter’s Civic Hall, Carmarthen, from where the audiences were bussed to Carmarthenshire County Museum in nearby Abergwili where 90% of the objects on display are agriculture-related.
Mrs Bartlett said: "We were very pleased that the production of the drama was such a tremendous success. It was a unique event which offered an alternative contemporary rural vision.
"The FUW received high praise and we were warmly thanked and congratulated for our assistance by the writers. They were accompanied around farms in the county to take pictures of Dutch barns which were reconstructed and used in the performance.
"Several FUW members were also interviewed to gather their views and experiences and the production has since been adapted and shown on S4C. Indeed it proved an honour to have been involved with such a production.
"We were also very pleased that when the producer and author were interviewed for S4C's ‘Ffermio’ they stated they had received great assistance from the FUW office in Carmarthen and the programme then showed two interviews with our members."
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WINNER: Meinir Bartlett receives the Owen Slaymaker Award from Glyn Roberts[/caption]