Barenbrug UK has a comprehensive and extensive UK trials programme with three sites replicating the differing conditions and climates experienced by UK livestock producers.

The latest site is Cropvale, between Pershore and Evesham with its longer growing season, and greater disease and drought stress in summer. Cropvale is being used to screen new material from Barenbrug Holland and Barenbrug France, together from our operation in New Zealand - Agriseeds. In addition we are testing mixtures and species, like tall fescue, westerwolds and vetches, which are outside the UK National List system.

Our Scottish site is part of the SAC National and Recommended List trials at Blackburn NW of Aberdeen. Here we are screening trials of varieties and species, particularly suited to the Scottish market. Material from Barenbrug Holland, Boreal Finland, DvP Belgium as well as AFBI is on trial. To succeed at Aberdeen, varieties must have very good spring growth, as the longer winter means that grass starts growing later in the spring and stops earlier in the Autumn. The site has a short growing season and harder winters than our third site at Loughgall. We are also using the site to develop, new improved mixtures for Scottish conditions, by doing yield and seasonal growth trials on different varietal permutations in the same mixtures.

The oldest of our trials sites is at Loughgall where alongside our collaboration with AFBI we have a programme that has been central to bringing over 20 varieties to market that are playing a significant role in providing farmers with varieties that are top for exceptional spring growth, palatability, disease resistance and digestibility. The main advantage of Loughgall is the very long growing season with no limiting factors i.e. plenty of moisture, very little frost and varieties can express their full growth and yield potential. Loughgall also produces breeders’ seed and screens material from Barenbrug and other breeders.

All three sites are helping speed up the process of entering material onto the National Lists. They also allow us to trial minor species that could have an increasingly important role in tackling the effects of climate change and the need for even better disease resistance.

Slow growth

The effects of the continuing cold dry spring are clear to be seen both in the trial fields and in the wider farming community, spring growth is significantly slower and later than an average spring. GrassCheck, a grazing management guide, produced for Northern Ireland farmers by AFBI, shows that the daily rate of growth so far this spring is behind the six year rolling average. Given the current and forecast temperatures it will fall significantly behind the rolling average. In mid May the six sites across Northern Ireland would expect to have daily growth of up to 90 kg of dry matter per day, yet the forecast for week commencing 24th May is just 44 kg/dm/day.

The slow growth will tempt many people to hold off first cuts to allow the crops to bulk up and given the relative immaturity of plants and the lack of stem extension in many swards this should not be a problem. Grass cut later, but at a similar growth stage, e.g. ears just emerging will still produce good quality silage, so judge your cutting time by the state of the crop not the calendar. 

The slow growth does bring benefits to graziers, assuming you have sufficient grass; it is of very high quality and easy to manage, as there is no stem in the sward and no need to top. GrassCheck estimated grazed grass quality to be 20 percent dry matter with an ME of 11.7 MJ/kgDM, crude protein of 17 percent and water soluble carbohydrate content of 19 percent of the dry matter.

Experience tells us that variations in the total grass production across a season, tends to even itself out, so the below average growth now should be balanced by above average growth later in the season.

David Long

For further information on the three sites go to...

More >> Loughgall

More >> Cropvale

More >> Aberdeen