AgriSearch NI
Driving Innovation in Agriculture

AgriSearch is Northern Ireland’s farmer-funded research and innovation body, dedicated to supporting a sustainable, productive, and resilient agri-food sector. 

We work in partnership with farmers, researchers, and industry leaders to deliver cutting-edge science and practical solutions tailored to the unique needs of local farming systems. From grassland management to livestock health and climate-smart practices, our mission is to ensure Northern Ireland’s farmers are equipped for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.

On this site, you’ll find the latest research projects, results, and reports from across the agri-food sector, as well as practical tools and resources to help improve on-farm performance. Explore our news and events section to stay updated on upcoming workshops, webinars, and field days. Learn more about how farmers can get involved in research, discover insights from our demonstration farms, and access key publications tailored to beef, dairy, and sheep systems. Whether you’re a farmer, advisor, student, or policymaker, AgriSearch is your gateway to evidence-based innovation in Northern Ireland agriculture.

GRASS GROWTH
23%
Dry Matter

Latest News

Agrisearch Hold Farm Walk on Red Clover Management

24 June 2025

industry news

As part of the ZeroNsile project AgriSearch recently held a farm walk on red clover establishment on the farm of Francis McDonnell near Dromore County Tyrone.

Agrisearch to Hold a Farm Walk in Kilkeel on How Grasscheck Plays a Crucial Role in Driving Performance and Profitability

17 June 2025

industry news

AgriSearch are holding a GrassCheck farm walk on the farm of James Henderson near Kilkeel on Thursday 26th June at 7pm. James farms 150 acres with a autumn born dairy...

SCOPS: Think it's Haemonchus? Don't panic - test first to be sure

13 June 2025

industry news

SCOPS (Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep) is encouraging farmers and the wider sheep industry to stay alert and informed as Haemonchus contortus - commonly known as Barber’s Pole worm -...
2
Sep
CAFRE / Teagasc Event: Sustainable Upland Livestock and Habitat Management Symposium
Conferences
3
Sep
CAFRE Event: Sustainable Upland Livestock and Habitat Management Event
Farm Walks
11
Dec
Royal Ulster Winter Fair
Trade Fairs

AgriSearch Projects

View All Projects
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ARCZero
Category: cross sectoral
The project is independently led by John Gilliland, alongside 7 commercial farms and industry partners including AgriSearch, Devenish, Queens University Belfast and Birnie Consultancy.
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Signet Sheep Genotyping Project in Northern Ireland
Category: sheep

The arrival of new genomic tools that directly assess the variation in an animal’s DNA heralds a new era for Northern Irish ram breeders.

AgriSearch are working with...

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(Super-G) Developing Sustainable Permanent Grassland systems and policies (DBS-92-17)
Category: beef

Organisations Involved: Newcastle University, ADAS, University of Aberdeen, Mendel University in Brno, Centre for Ecological Research, Univerzitet Crne Gore, SLU, University of Turin, Wageningen University and Research, ETH Zürich, Warsaw...

Grass Check

Operated by AgriSearch and AFBI, the project monitors weekly grass growth and quality and provides seven and 14 day grass growth rate forecasts to support farmers in managing pasture surpluses and deficits throughout the growing season.

Regular grass growth monitoring has been identified as a key mechanism to facilitate improvements in grass utilisation, which in turn carries a financial benefit for farmers.

Historically GrassCheck has been based on grass plot data. This core data collection will be retained in 2017 however this year, the project is being expanded to bring in grass growth and quality data from 35 commercial dairy, beef and sheep farms across N.I.

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Grasscheck Bulletin

GRASSCHECK BULLETIN WEEK BEGINNNING 30-06-2025

01 July 2025

Read Bulletin

Field Beans and Red Clover

New Project Title

 

Summary card for the new project atht will lead to that project page.

Have you been thinking about growing field beans or red clover but not sure how it will affect your dairy cow’s diet?

Check out AgriSearchs' review of 6 different experiments, with their results and effects.

View The Project