Summer Meeting 2024

North Farm, Horton, Dorset

At North Farm, Peter Snell explained that they started growing perennial ryegrass for seed production in 2015 ready for the first harvest in 2016. The acreage has grown as confidence and understanding of this crop has developed, and they are on schedule to harvest around 160 hectares (400 acres) for harvest 2024. Three or four different varieties are grown each year, the majority of which are diploid types but they also grow a more vigorous tetraploid variety on one farm. In the UK all grass seed for commercial production is grown on stringent contracts for a handful of seed breeders. At North Farm they grow for Germinal and Barenbrug. The Germinal varieties are all agricultural types (i.e. for grazing and/or cutting) whilst the Barenbrug variety is for amenity purposes. Amenity use includes garden lawns, sports fields, golf courses, and recreational areas.