A three-day event examining and scrutinising one of this country's most valuable economic assets, its pasturelands, is coming to a close in the city today.

This week 240 delegates have been attending the 2013 New Zealand Grasslands Association Conference, held in Tauranga City.

Getting down to grass roots - New Zealand Grasslands Association Conference delegates discuss the pasture of the dairy farm owned by Andrew and Jackie Siemelink.

Farmers, scientists, agri-business consultants and university students from throughout the country have attended, hearing from a range of speakers, and visiting two Bay of Plenty farms.

The first on Tuesday was Mataiwhetu Station in the lower Kaimai Ranges, farmed by Allen Coster, and the second on Wednesday afternoon, the Paengaroa dairy farm owned by Andrew and Jackie Siemelink.

The Coster property is a 295ha hill country sheep and beef unit while in sharp contrast, the Siemelink dairy farm is 112ha flat dairy farm with 10ha of green kiwifruit.

During the field trips to both properties, delegates were given an over-view of their operation and pasture types and encouraged to offer opinions on how to enhance the already successful farming businesses.

Debate throughout the three day conference has been vigorous with delegates encouraged to question speakers, who ranged from scientists to consultants to regional council staff.

A Paengaroa farm's calf rearing shed became a conference venue when the 240 delegates visited Andrew and Jackie Siemelink's dairy farm.

Tauranga organising committee member Warwick Catto says the conference aims 'to enhance pastoral agriculture through providing a forum for communication of science, technology and knowledge”.

'For farmers, the conference is an opportunity to hear from and talk to leading researchers and consultants and ask questions relevant to their farms.

'For consultants and scientists, it's a chance to talk to farmers, visit local farms; and to gain an understanding of how relevant their research is.”

Warwick says because the NZGA membership includes a wide range of scientists, consultants, agribusiness people and farmers, it is truly 'fuelled by science and tempered by experience”.

Speakers covered a wide range of topics from farming in the Tauranga Harbour catchment, to a case study on farming without nitrogen for nine years, to mixed pastures for dairy farms; and research into a novel device fitted to cows' tails to automatically apply a nitrogen inhibitor to their urine.

Managing insect pests, a study into the effects of gibberellic acid applied in autumn, and another into endophyte enhancement of drought tolerance; were also covered.

The 2014 conference will be held in Alexandra.