Grass breeders need to move to a premium plus model when selling the best grass varieties according to Hillsborough boss Dr Trevor Gilliland. Speaking in the morning session on the first day of the European Grassland Federation annual meeting in Cork he explained as long as the farmer first asks about the price of a bag of grass seed before the qualities of the grass varieties in the bag then breeders are not going to be able to make the commercial grass seed business stack up.

He said, “the best grassland farmers are now moving towards using single varieties rather than a mixture, which, presents a challenge for those selling grass seeds. However, the positive effect is that the seed business then moves to a more cost benefit model of business which is better for both the farmer and the grass breeder.”

Senior French researcher Luc Delaby from INRA in France spoke this morning about the importance of having the right cow to graze productive pastures. He suggested good grazing imposes low post grazing heights and a robust animal should be able to handle this with large forage intakes, the ability to cope with variation (high and low grass intakes) and have very good fertility.

Over the next three days researchers and scientists from all over the world will gather in Cork to hear key scientific messages on how resilient plants for grass based ruminant production systems need to be adapted to the dynamics of climate and resource availability.

Teagasc are hosting the 27th European Grassland Federation meeting in Cork. It was previously held in Dublin in 1988. The meeting offers scientific delegates the first hand opportunity to see and experience dairy, beef and sheep production from grassland in Ireland. Ruminant agriculture in Ireland is a major contributor to the Irish economy and is strongly export based. Irish agriculture prides itself on its green image from high quality produce originating from grazed pasture.

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