Marlene Herzog and Marc Grawitschky

We took the knowledge and expertise for this from the Department of Ecological Agricultural Sciences in Witzenhausen. The information day at the Witzenhausen study site further encouraged me, Marc Grawitschky, in my choice of study program: a clearly arranged, familiar faculty, committed, enthusiastic students and the idyllic landscape of northern Hesse made the choice easy for me. I did not have a specific career aspiration before I started my studies. Regional development and the promotion of ecological agriculture in my home region, the Ore Mountains, were my vague ideas at the beginning of my studies. As one of the first bachelor classes, we had a free choice of subjects in the main course. So I decided on a mixture of areas of crop production, soil fertility as well as agricultural sociology and agricultural policy.

To take up a profession with animals or plants was something I, Marlene Herzog, wanted from my childhood years. The critical examination of how we deal with nature and its creatures was something I was practically born with. After the technical secondary school and some internships, it was quickly clear that it should be the study of organic agriculture in Witzenhausen. My focus was on organic plant and arable farming. Due to the wide range of courses, I was also able to benefit from the fields of farm animal science and international agricultural policy. My bachelor thesis in 2008 was titled: "The milk supply strike in May/June 2008 and associated interests".

After completing our bachelor's degree, our path led us - together from this point on - to Münsterland, where Marlene completed a traineeship at the independent Bauerstimme and Marc worked on an organic vegetable farm in Münster. Our daughter was also born in Münster in 2009. The birth of our second daughter in 2012 then moved us to be near our grandparents in Saarland.

After some time working on other farms, it was soon clear to us: we want our own farm to be able to implement our own ideas, ideals and experiences. After some searching, we finally found the Wahlbacherhof near Zweibrücken in the Southwest Palatinate in 2014, where we were allowed to work as employees for a year. In 2015, our third daughter was born there. After this trial year, we finally took over the diverse mixed farm by founding a limited partnership (KG). By establishing a solidarity-based agriculture, we were able to maintain and develop the farm. The old farmers Manfred and Marianne Nafziger support us since then with a lot of idealism, patience and willingness to compromise. Both live with us on the farm.

The solidarity-based agriculture employs six people and provides about 300 to 400 people with about 40 different vegetable crops on a total of 2 hectares of vegetable land (including 1.5 hectares of outdoor vegetables and 1,000 square meters of foil tunnels). On about 30 ha of arable land we grow cereals and field crops such as millet, lentils, camelina, buckwheat, linseed, red wheat, spelt and others. On about 20 ha of grassland we keep a small suckler cow herd with 10 dams and in two barns (including 1 chicken mobile) a total of 400 laying hens. From the apples of about 300 apple trees we have apple juice pressed annually. In addition, there is strawberry self-harvest. 15 hectares of forest belong to the premises.

Ecological farming, as we learned it in Witzenhausen and implement it today on our farm, is the right way for us to do farming. Through solidarity-based agriculture we can guarantee ourselves and our employees a regular and fair income. At the same time, we have the opportunity not to lose sight of the values and goals of organic farming. While many organic farms have to go the way of specialization and growth, we have the possibility to keep diversity, animal welfare, fair working conditions, nature conservation and soil development in mind.