SHOWCASE FACILITY IN DEVELOPMENT

Work is underway on a brand new ‘Showcase’ facility at DLF’s UK headquarters in Inkberrow, Worcestershire.

Scheduled to be fully operational by Spring 2025, the Showcase sees six hectares dedicated to amenity seed trials, product development, training and education for staff, distributors and customers - which the producer says will make it one of the largest of its kind in the UK.

Alongside plots sown with current cultivars and mixtures, DLF say the Showcase will have an area dedicated to new and upcoming developments giving visitors the chance to exclusively see and compare future trial and demo formulations. It will also be the base for a sizeable programme of UK testing which feeds into the global picture of climate and disease tolerance trials, which DLF say will ensure ".. that the mixtures of tomorrow are the most resistant, fit for purpose and sustainable to tackle the environmental challenges faced in the amenity market."

Centre to the Showcase will be a sports zone, featuring a hybrid winter sports pitch, cricket wicket, tennis court and small-scale golf tee, fairway and green, sown with mixtures from across the DLF portfolio by specialist contactors Fineturf who were commissioned with the construction. 

Commenting on the work, amenity sales & marketing manager Derek Smith said, “It’s incredibly exciting to see the start of what promises to be an industry-leading facility and asset to the Johnsons Sports Seed, Masterline and MM Seed brands. A big thank you to the Fineturf team for their work to date, and over the next six months we look forward to the construction of new conference facilities and the continued extension of the sample plots to give us a fully-functioning training centre come the Spring.”

Further updates on the project are expected in the new year.