b'A Global ApproachIN MY LAST COLUMN,I talked about how DLF breeders share germplasm with each other around the world. This global approach to research is revolutionizing grass breeding in ways to Breeding that positively impact our world. For example, DLF breeders are working to lower methane production in livestock farming.Thirty-six percent of methane emissions come from natural Climate-Smartsources, including volcanic eruptions. The other 65% are from human sources, including fossil fuels, landfills and livestock farming. Ruminant animals have four compartments in their stom-Grass Varieties ach instead of one. During the normal digestion process, these animals depend on microflora in their gut to digest fibrous plant material. These rumen microflorae break down complex plant material, which is then fermented into several chemical compounds, which can then be utilized by the animal. One of the by-products of the fermentation that occurs in the rumen is methane, released when they chew their cud and belch. Studies have shown we can get increased milk and meat yield with increased fiber digestibility while also lowering the methane that is produced from the ruminant livestock that are grazing on those grasses. Better data has changed everything for grass breeders, grow-ers, and customers. Through DLFs research, we aim to collect forage quality data on every harvest for all our forage grasses. In Wisconsin alone, we collected over 7,500 measurements for fiber digestibility in 2022 and over 150,000 worldwide. With this amount of data, we are making tremendous progress in deliver-ing forages with increased fiber digestibility worldwide. Another example is gray leaf spot disease in ryegrasses, a devastating disease that has been around for a long time in STEVE REID the United States and Brazil, causing decreased forage yield and quality in pastures. Only recently has it become an issue in HEAD OF LAWN & CONSUMER TURF, Europe, due in large part to climate change. R&D, DLF With our global research model, we can utilize all the differ-sreid@dlfna.com ent locations we have within the company. Whether that is our dlfna.com Kentucky research site or our research site in Brazil, we can get a@DLFUSAhandle on those diseases and create genetic improvement. Of course, ensuring long-term success means going beyond breeding. Seed enhancements, especially the use of biologicals, will further revolutionize grass in the future. Applying biologicals to grass seed not only enhances their potential but can provide insights into how we can breed better seed that can theoreti-cally work in conjunction with biologicals to create climate-smart grass varieties.18/ SEEDWORLD.COMLATAM'