As animal agriculture spread and intensified throughout Europe during the past 1,000 years, wild grasses and clovers were subjected to increasing pressure to survive and reproduce under grazing.

Consequently, perennial ryegrass evolved its low growth habit, high tiller density and persistency making it ideally suited for grazing pastures.

Clover, first domesticated in Spain around the year 1000, spread throughout Europe and was the chief provider of atmospheric nitrogen for cereals and potatoes needed to feed a growing population. Clover has been praised as a plant which changed the world due to its ability to fix nitrogen and probably had a greater influence on civilization than the much heralded potato.

However, natural selection is slow, often taking thousands of years to bring about significant change in plant characteristics. Also, the plant type favoured by natural selection may not be the type best suited for agriculture.

Under natural selection, genes contributing to survival are favoured. But these genes may not necessarily be the ones conferring agronomic merit for agriculture. Plant breeding is critical to accelerate the genetic changes and ensure the direction of change favours the desired traits.

Formal breeding of forage grasses began in the late 19th century in Europe and USA, with clover breeding following in the early 20th century.

The Teagasc breeding programme was established at Oakpark in 1960 on the formation of An Foras Talúntais, the precursor of Teagasc. Compared with other crop species, forage breeding is a relatively recent activity. There remains huge potential for further improvements.

Today Teagasc practices a multispecies breeding approach creating species-rich, sustainable, low input, nitrogen-fixing, healthy, high performing pastures.

The majority of breeding resources are committed to breeding perennial ryegrass as it is the main forage species sown in Ireland. Forthcoming Teagasc bred varieties include Bandon and Clonakilty. Clover, the engine that drove the second agricultural revolution (17th to 19th century), but whose use spectacularly declined after World War II as the industrial production of fertiliser nitrogen expanded dramatically, is presently enjoying a resurgence.

The Teagasc white clover breeding programme is arguably the strongest in north-western Europe. The latest varieties, Clodagh and Dungloe, are the highest yielding large and medium leaf size varieties on the Irish recommended list.

Red clover use has increased exponentially in the last few years. Fearga, released in 2024, is the first ever Irish red clover variety.

Across trials in Moorepark and Grange, Fearga had the highest clover yield of all varieties in the second measurement year, demonstrating its superior persistency.

Swards high in clover may cause bloat due to the rapid breakdown of clover protein. Sainfoin is a bloat safe, nitrogen fixing legume but is short lived under continuous grazing.

The first ever Irish sainfoin variety was bred by Teagasc for improved grazing tolerance in 2025.

Chicory and plantain are deep-rooting, broad-leafed forage herbs that offer production and environmental benefits as part of a multispecies sward. However, the persistence of these herbs is a major obstacle. Teagasc has bred two new grazing-persistent varieties of chicory and plantain.

Come talk to us in the Grassland village and give us your feedback on varieties on the recommended lists.

The Business of Farming Forum

The Business of Dairy Farming forum at Moorepark 2025 will provide a discussion forum for leading Irish and international farmers, researchers and specialists to discuss key trends in the economic performance of dairy farms and future opportunities to further strengthen dairy farm business performance and competitiveness over the next five years.

At Moorepark 2025, we will have a number of informal and interactive sessions addressing key challenges in the next decade, such as cost control and evaluating future opportunities for further business growth over the next decade.

Our guest contributors on the day include leading dairy farmers Mike Birmingham, David Fogarty and Katie O’Toole, James Murphy, Sean O’Donnell, and Gillian O’Sullivan. Ewan McCracken and Brendan Muldowney will share their experiences from a Northern Ireland and Scotland perspective, while Greg and Rachel Roadley, and Corrigan Sowman, will provide insight on the business of dairy farming in a New Zealand industry context.

We will also hear from the financial institutions on their requirements of dairy farmers for business planning and debt management as well as from researchers from Ireland and New Zealand.

The sessions will feature analysis of the five-year trends in milk productions costs and margins, the outlook for milk production internationally, as well as the international competitiveness of Irish dairy farming.

We will also explore in depth, the underlying reasons for the variation in performance, costs and profitability on dairy farms. The sessions will run at regular 30-minute intervals across the day, with the first session commencing at 10.30am and continuing into the early afternoon.

The forum is located next to the catering area after the main stands and grassland demo, so it will be an ideal opportunity to take a break and get involved in the discussion.