David Patterson

Dr David Patterson is responsible for the grassland research platforms and associated research programmes at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) sites in Hillsborough and Loughgall.  

He holds a BAgr degree in Agriculture and a PhD in grass–white clover sward dynamics from Queen’s University Belfast. David’s career spans grassland research, breeding, teaching, policy and compliance roles across AFBI, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), before returning to AFBI in 2018.  

His research focuses on sustainable grassland systems, including silage management, flooding impacts, fertiliser nitrogen use, multispecies swards, and forage crops such as plantain and red clover. A central aim of his work is to deliver practical, farm-level impacts while balancing production efficiency with ecosystem services.