Specialist forage grass seed breeder Barenbrug is celebrating the success of its Northern Ireland Forage Focus distributor days, held recently at Greenmount College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise in County Antrim.

Spanning two separate sessions, approximately 30 agricultural merchants from across the province were invited to learn more about the latest launches and developments from Barenbrug’s popular BAR Forage mixtures range and breeding programme.

Hosted by three members of the Barenbrug team, Northern Ireland manager David Linton began by unveiling the company’s new Grass & Forage Seeds 2010 catalogue. Giving an insight into brand new introductions like unique red and white clover blend Ensign Duet, as well as proven favourites such as Cut & Graze and Permanent, David went on to explain how the BAR Forage range can help customers maximise the effectiveness of their overseeding programmes.

Joining the team was grass breeder David Johnston from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) at Loughgall, Barenbrug’s breeding partner. David brought delegates up-to-date with the latest varieties to come out of Loughgall, including Drumlin, a brand new hybrid grass that boasts excellent spring growth and is expected to be of particular benefit for farmers looking for early grazing.

Barenbrug’s agricultural product manager David Long then gave a talk on ‘alternative’ crop options, such as fodder beet, kale and stubble turnips as well as permanent, high-protein mixture Barmix. The day ended with a step-by-step guide to using the Barenbrug website’s agricultural resources courtesy of UK sales manager James Ingles.

“Our Forage Focus meetings were a great success,” comments David Linton. “We’re the first seed company to host this kind of event in the region, and as a result the feedback from delegates has been nothing but positive. By particularly promoting the importance of reseeding early in the year, we believe our distributors will be better equipped to help customers make the right crop choices for optimum results.”

For more information on Barenbrug’s BAR Forage range, call on 01359 272000, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.barenbrug.co.uk.