Foundation Allies With New Zealand Company to Develop Forage Technology

ARDMORE, Okla. — The Noble Foundation and Grasslanz Technology, a member of the AgResearch Group in New Zealand, have announced a collaboration to develop forage technologies that will deliver benefits to farmers.

"The agreement brings together two of the world's leading agricultural research institutions to develop forage technology" said John Stewart, CEO of Grasslanz. "The alliance will foster joint research projects, including innovations to improve animal health and productivity through the use of novel grass endophytes to control fescue toxicosis while improving forage performance."

Grasslanz is contributing germplasm, novel fungal endophytes and its international distribution channel to the Foundation’s world-class research capability in forage improvement and biotechnology.

"Grasslanz provides us the opportunity to collaborate with an organization of impeccable international stature and superb scientific capability," said Michael A. Cawley, Foundation president. "But more importantly, all the people we have worked with at Grasslanz are high quality and they understand what farmers and ranchers need."

Grasslanz Technology Limited is based in Palmerston North, New Zealand. It is a plant technology company serving agriculture through development of proprietary forage cultivars, grass endophytes and applied biotechnology. It is the world's premier source of grass endophytes and white clover and a world leader in the development of temperate forage cultivars. Grasslanz success is underpinned by its parent AgResearch with capability in conventional plant breeding, plant genomics, microbial genomics and a strong base of fundamental and applied plant and animal sciences.

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Photo cutline: Back — Steve Rhines, Noble Foundation director of legal affairs; Joe Bouton, Noble Foundation Forage Improvement Division director; Bruce Belgrave, business marketing manager of Grasslanz Technology Limited and Tony Stratton, business manager of AgResearch (USA) Limited. Front — Mike Cawley, Noble Foundation president and John Stewart, CEO of Grasslanz Technology Limited.

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a non-profit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement, and plant biology research; providing grants to numerous non-profit charitable, educational and health organizations; and assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs.

To learn more, visit the Noble Foundation Web site at http://www.noble.org.

More news releases available at www.noble.org/Press_Release