Summer Series - Talking Grasses with Marty Conroy

In this episode of Hay Matters, host Jon Paul Driver chats with Marty Conroy, Agronomy Services Lead for Northern Australia at Barenbrug Seeds. From Northern NSW, Marty provides a practical look at tropical pasture systems across Queensland, the NT, and northern NSW. He unpacks the science behind C3 and C4 grasses, explains how feed quality drives profitability, and highlights the untapped potential of pasture management and modern breeding programs.Marty explains how pasture breeding is now focused on fibre quality, seasonal fit, and regional adaptability. C4 grasses like Rhodes and panicum are critical in northern systems, with planting tied to rainfall and temperature windows. Feed quality is key to intake, weight gain, and financial returns.The episode also explores accelerated breeding through genomic tools, underutilised C4 pasture management strategies, strategic input use such as nitrogen, and the importance of benchmarking paddock performance year-on-year to make smarter decisions in unpredictable seasons.