Reduce your environmental footprint with innovative grass varieties, while maintaining profitability
Introducing a new generation of grasses that have been scientifically proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.
The realities of climate change mean we need to transform to improve how we produce our food. It’s not just about adapting, it also requires innovation.
Germinal is leading the way by producing a new generation of perennial ryegrass varieties that are scientifically proven to reduce environmentally harmful emissions such as ammonia and nitrous oxide from livestock, and breeding seeds that will result in better pastures for tomorrow’s agriculture.
Nearly half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, and farmers are more aware than ever of the need to address the issue. Solutions that help improve production efficiency are critical to securing the future of the industry.
At the national level, there is increasing environmental degradation of water and soil under intensive agriculture. Innovations that can improve nitrogen efficiency in ruminants are needed now more than ever.
Germinal is committed to helping New Zealand farmers adapt to pioneering products, and is working hard to establish a ryegrass breeding program in Lincoln to focus on the areas of greatest need for New Zealand farmers – breeding to New Zealand conditions.
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Climate Smart Grass uses the latest agricultural technologies to address the challenge of methane reduction.
All farmers know the importance of choosing the right pasture varieties for their farming system. Selecting optimal varieties increases production, while increasing meat and dairy productivity for an ultimately more profitable and sustainable agricultural future.
Choosing microbial grass seed also reduces ammonia and nitrogen oxide emissions, helping to sustain our planet.
Backed by a wealth of international experience, Germinal is committed to making a real difference to the long-term sustainability and profitability of New Zealand farmers.
A sixth generation family business with a proud heritage, Germinal was founded in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1825 and brought to New Zealand in 2002.
The varieties were developed over 35 years through collaboration with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University in Wales. Aber’s unique High Sugar Grass (HSG) contains high levels of water-soluble carbohydrates, known as polysaccharides.
When livestock eat grass, only about 25% of plant protein is converted into usable animal protein, which becomes the products we consume. The rest is excreted in urine and manure or as greenhouse gas emissions.
The science behind Aber HSG means that much higher sugars (in the form of soluble carbohydrates) feed ruminant microflora, enabling more efficient use of plant proteins for production while excreting less ammonia and nitrous oxide. Increasing the conversion of plant protein into agricultural products such as meat and milk is vital to our well-being and economy. Aber HSG is high-performance and climate-smart
It is the power of forage crops for your farm.
AberDart was introduced in 2000 as the world’s first high-sugar grass, and since then, successive varieties of Aber HSG and alfalfa have been bred, continuing to demonstrate superior pasture quality, persistence and digestibility around the world.
Germinal also produces clover seeds that are bred for greater persistence and grazing tolerance. This allows them to fix atmospheric nitrogen more reliably. It also means less synthetic nitrogen needs to be used, reducing agricultural emissions, costs and the environmental impact of nitrogen fertilizers.
You don’t need to compromise profitability to proactively move toward more sustainable agricultural practices. Using a combination of Aber HSG and Clover’s is a step towards a more positive food future for New Zealanders.
Order Germinal seeds from your existing supplier, or contact Germinal directly germinal.co.nz/
