Heritage Seeds aim is to remain the technology leader in the Australian pasture seed market. To accomplish this we have a substantial investment in research and development. 'Shrublands' is Heritage Seeds' primary research station and the focal point for the co-ordination of research and development of new plant cultivars and pasture technologies. A secondary breeding and research operation is operated from our Brisbane office with field work conducted at Gatton.

Shrublands is located 30 km west of Albury on the banks of the Murray River at Howlong in southern NSW. It covers 70 hectares in total with about 30 hectares of this used for breeding trials and has an annual rainfall: 580-600mm. Soil type: Poorly structured coluvial loam, pH 5.5 CaCl, moderate fertility. Shrublands was the first Australian private research institution to be issued with a open quarantine license by AQIS; enabling the grow-out of seed supplied overseas.

There are numerous research streams represented at 'Shrublands'. Species in various stages of the breeding and trial program include: italian, hybrid and perennial ryegrass, mediterranean and continental tall fescue, cocksfoot, white clover, red clover, chicory, lucerne, forage cereals (oats, barley, triticale), milling wheat, durum wheat, malting barley and turf grasses. Detail of four of these R&D programs follows.

Our management practises for these research fascilities are typical of that on Australian farms and are run under conditions similar to those on commercial farms including extreme summer temperatures, varying levels of moisture stress, physically difficult soils, moderate fertility and animal grazing. Numerous off-station trial sites (on commercial farms) along with collaborative plant breeding and research programs by Australian and overseas institutions ensure that new plant cultivars and technologies are fail-safe.

The trial and eveluation process is so stringent that less than 1% of breeding lines tested are progressed towards commercialisation. Simply put, potential new cultivars have to offer a significant improvement in attributes, proven over a minimum time frame (years) and across a range of environmental and farm management practises - or they are rejected.

Heritage Seeds mix of employee's range from staff with 43 years seedmanship experience to young PhD and postgraduates scientists across a range of disciplines. In aggregate, the company's employee's account for more than 100 man-years of undergraduate study and more than 350 man-years of seed industry experience.