Dr. Helen Sheridan:

The committee was inquiring about the other species in the mixes. We chose three functional groups of species with similar traits: three grass species, namely, perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot and Timothy; three leguminous species, namely, white clover, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil; and three herb species in the maximally diverse or nine species group, namely, ribwort plantain, chicory and yarrow. We do not know a great deal about grass availability during the year but we chose each of these species and we had three varieties of each species included in the mix, where possible. We have tried to get as broad a spectrum as possible with these varieties in terms of early, mid and late season yielding varieties. Time will tell. One of the main issues for us is the need to examine the digestibility and nutritional value of this forage for animals and that is something we will be examining. It is not enough to produce more, it must be of a suitable quality.