New dairy research unit unveiled

25 March 1998

New dairy research unit unveiled

By FWi staff

A NEW £1 million dairy unit at Aberystwyths Institute of Grassland and Environment Research (IGER) will be unveiled next week (March 30).

The new facility will enable scientists to further their work in devising feeding programmes which rely on farm-grown forage crops for milk and beef producers.

Chris Pollock, IGER research director, said the overall objective of the institutes work was to provide options which would allow dairy farmers to reduce their feeding costs and produce a more “natural” product.

IGER researchers believe more efficient utilisation of pastures, coupled with improving the quality of conserved forage, can provide real economic benefits to farmers, as well as producing beef and dairy products which are more customer friendly.

The dairy unit will help in assessing the success of new forages being bred and developed by IGERs research teams. These include new grass varieties with improved digestibility and higher protein and sugar contents, new clover varieties and alternative crops such as kale, lucerne and red clover.