Advance ticket sales for Grassland & Muck 2011 are higher than ever, reflecting strong demand from visitors keen to save money and time, reports event organiser the Royal Agricultural Society of England.

Thousands of farmers and contractors from across Great Britain and Ireland will visit the event to seek out the latest developments and advice to squeeze more profit from grass.

Grassland & Muck, partnered by Yara UK, takes place at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on 18th and 19th May. RASE event manager Kate Rider says: “We are delighted to report strong forward ticket sales, which can be booked via the Grassland & Muck website [ http://www.grasslandevent.co.uk].

“With margins under pressure from all sides, it seems producers are keener than ever to seek out the wealth of advice on offer to help maximise the potential of forage and manures.”

A standard adult ticket costs £13, saving £3 on the gate price and speeding up entry at the gate.

Key event highlights include:

· Working grassland machinery

· Working muck and slurry machinery

· Working silage clamp machinery

· Grass variety and management plots

· Forum programme

· Muck and Nutrient Management Centre

· Over 200 trade stands

With 65 working plots across the 160-acre dedicated demonstration site, Grassland & Muck will live up to its billing as the biggest working machinery event in the UK as leading manufacturers put hundreds of mowers, tedders, foragers, balers, wrappers and telehandlers through their paces.

Latest developments include several new balers, such as John Deere’s 900 Series variable chamber round balers, which feature a Fast Release System enabling the operator to unload the completed bale in less than five seconds.

Vicon has a new range of fixed and variable chamber round balers featuring a new electronic control system, Focus II, designed to simplify the monitoring and control processes.

New mowers include Kuhn’s GMD 8730 triple gang disc mower, with a working width up to 8.75m, as well as Claas’ Disco 3100F front-mounted mower conditioner with active float. Reco’s SM3280 ISL Fella mower is adapted for mowing on slopes and difficult terrain, and there’s a UK debut for Krone’s 500hp self-propelled machine.

The latest slurry tankers and muck spreaders, as well as clamp-filling equipment, will also be on show.

An updated version of Merlo’s P55.9 CS, which has a 5.5t capacity to 9m, is making an appearance, while at the other end of the scale, Manitou’s latest UK launch features its MLT625T ‘super-compact’ telescopic loader designed to work in restricted areas.

On the spreader front, Techmagri will be demonstrating its new Annaburger HTS 33B.04 Teleliner spreader, the largest of four models in the range with a 36 cu/m maximum capacity.

Of course, Grassland & Muck is much more than just machinery. Plot exhibitors will advise on variety choice and management to deliver quality, yield and persistence, while the Muck and Nutrient Management Centre will keep visitors abreast of the latest economic and environmental developments.

There is also a packed forum programme, sponsored by Keenan, covering topical grass and muck issues, and, for the first time at the event, a key headline debate. Future-proofing UK livestock production will consider the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for UK livestock producers.

Five BASIS CPD points are available for attending either day of Grassland & Muck - four at the entrance and a further point from NIAB stand 310. Point allocation: 4 x crop protection, 1 x plant nutrition.

For more details on tickets and the event go to http://www.grasslandevent.co.uk