We at Germinal are increasing our investment in New Zealand and are delighted to welcome Sarah Gard as our new Trials and Product Development Manager.
Sarah has an in-depth understanding of practical forage needs in farming systems to increase productivity and sustainability. She has experience in sales, research and product development – most particularly in implementing and managing the R&D programme for Germinal’s products in New Zealand over the last two years.
With a trial site operating in Christchurch, we are actively investing in developing new top-performing Aber High Sugar Grass (AberHSG) and clover varieties specifically for New Zealand conditions.
Sarah has just returned from a trip to our global headquarters in Northern Ireland and spent time with the world-leading breeding team at the Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Science (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University in Wales.
“It was great to meet the breeding team at IBERS and get a firsthand view of the R&D they do for Germinal that eventually benefits New Zealand dairy farmers.”
“In New Zealand, I’ll be carrying out practical selection work to help improve future results of Germinal’s AberHSG varieties on the Dairy New Zealand Forage Variety Index* and in other measurements, so sheep, beef and dairy farmers can make informed, confident and profitable decisions.”
With a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours) from Lincoln University, Sarah’s most recent position was as Product Development Agronomist for Genetic Technologies Ltd. Gard was also a Technical Field Officer dealing with a range of farmers and farming systems, together with on-farm experience across sheep and beef, dairy, cropping and deer.
*The DairyNZ Forage Value Index (FVI) is an independent, region-specific, profit-based index for short–term and perennial ryegrass cultivars.