Over 30 sports turf specialists attended a special open day and technical conference run by leading seed producer Barenbrug and the Institute of Groundsmanship.

The event took place at Barenbrug’s trial site at Cropvale near Evesham and gave people an unique opportunity of a guided tour of the trials taking place at the site, enabling them to see first-hand how these trials are helping the industry.

Dr David Greenshields explaining the benefits of regenerating perennial ryegrass at the event.

Following that there was a technical conference hosted by Dr David Greenshields Barenbrug’s research & development manager Turf & Amenity. He discussed Barenbrug’s revolutionary new product RPR and the significant trials it had undergone at sports venues like Manchester City FC before being launched.

Tim Colclough, an agronomist from sports turf consultants TGMS Ltd, talked about the importance of soil structure for sports pitches.

Andy Sadler, production manager from Barenbrug spoke about the process of producing quality grass seed and explained why it can take 15-18 years to bring a new seed variety to market.

Jason Booth, national manager for grounds and natural turf improvement programme at the IOG was able to talk about his new role and what it means for the industry. He also spoke about how in his previous job he created the ‘£1m Pitch’ for Leeds Rhinos.