Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
      • Whatever happened to?
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • National Arable and Grassland Awards
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. September 2025 issue
      2. August 2025 issue
      3. 2025 Drills and Seeds supplement
      4. July 2025 issue
      5. June 2025 issue
      6. Cereals event guide 2025
      7. May 2025 issue
      8. April 2025 issue
      9. March 2025 issue
      10. 2025 Tyre Developments supplement
      11. February 2025 issue
      12. National Arable and Grassland Awards supplement
      13. January 2025 issue
      14. December 2024 issue
      15. November 2024 issue
      16. October 2024 issue
      17. September 2024 issue
      18. August 2024 Issue
      19. 2024 Drills and Seeds supplement
      20. July 2024 Issue
      21. Cereals Supplement
      22. June 2024 Issue
      23. May 2024 Issue
      24. April 2024 Issue
      25. Tyres and Tracks Supplement
      26. March 2024 Issue
      27. National Arable & Grassland Award – Meet the Finalists
      28. February 2024 Issue
      29. January 2024 Issue
      30. December 2023
      31. Agritechnica Preview Supplement
      32. November 2023
      33. October 2023
      Featured

      September 2025 issue available now

      By Matthew TiltSeptember 1, 2025
      Recent

      September 2025 issue available now

      September 1, 2025

      August 2025 issue available now

      August 1, 2025

      2025 Drills and Seeds supplement available now

      August 1, 2025
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    People

    Barenbrug and AFBI celebrate 30 years of grass genetics

    Matthew TiltBy Matthew TiltDecember 31, 20212 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    IMG_4287
    Thirty years of grass-breeding success: Dr Gillian Young (centre), AFBI Grass Breeder, receives a commemorative painting from Barenbrug UK’s commercial agriculture manager David Linton (l) and R&D manager Mhairi Dawson (r) to mark the 30th anniversary of the UK’s most prolific grass-breeding programme

    A cumulative increase in grass yields of around 0.5% and the addition of 46 varieties to the Recommended List are just two of the achievements from the 30 year partnership between Barenbrug and AFBI.

    Barenbrug announced the partnership in 1991 with the objective of providing a steady flow of new varieties to meet the demands of grassland and livestock industries.

    “Ever since then, under the initial stewardship of AFBI breeder David Johnston, and latterly Dr Gillian Young, the Barenbrug-AFBI partnership has managed advance after advance,” said Barenbrug UK’s commercial agricultural manager David Linton.

    “New varieties have shown consistent and significant improvements in traits such as yield, digestibility and disease resistance,” he continued. “As we seek to reduce the agricultural sector’s carbon emissions to meet the industry’s net-zero goals, it’s vital we look to new varieties which raise productivity and output. We need to be doing more with less, something that good grass genetics can help us achieve.”

    AFBI’s breeding programme is supported by funding from Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, with commercialisation and marketing the responsibility of Barenbrug.

    A combination of real-world testing at AFBI’s Longhall site and further evaluations through the UK and Ireland provides a supply of varieties. The partnership is set to bring new grasses to market every year until 2028, with a further 45 varieties in official trials at Cropvale, Barenbrug’s mainland trials site.

    The partnership currently has 19 ryegrass varieties listed on the 2021/22 Recommended Grass and Clover Lists, including the top-performing Gracehill ryegrass.

    “As we celebrate 30 years of the partnership, we will continue to provide the nation’s farmers with a range of grasses that meet their changing requirements for high-performing cutting and grazing mixtures, under a variety of conditions,” said Mr Linton.

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleTrends in Crop Protection Technology in Arable Farming
    Next Article Turney Group appointed to sell Claydon Opti-Till range
    Matthew Tilt
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn

    Machinery editor for Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer. Matt has worked as an agricultural machinery journalist for five years, following time spent in his family’s Worcestershire contracting business. When he’s not driving or writing about the latest farm equipment, he can be found in his local cinema, or with his headphones in, reading a good book.

    Read Similar Stories

    We Are Land-based Engineering announces Technician of the Year

    August 25, 2025

    Entry deadline looms for National Arable and Grassland Awards

    August 6, 2025

    Rural connectivity still falling short

    July 23, 2025
    Most Read Stories

    Pöttinger introduces new silage additive tank

    September 2, 2025

    Samson adds new entry-level TG slurry tanker

    September 2, 2025

    John Deere extends parts solutions

    September 2, 2025
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

    Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • Farmers Weekly
    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.