Organic Field Days 2019 - impulses for the whole of agriculture

Before the Hessian Minister of Agriculture, Priska Hinz, opened the meeting place for organic farming, she painted her vision of 25% organic farming in Hesse in 2025 on a giant canvas together with many other players in the sector. The artwork is as creative and colorful as organic farming itself in order to find answers to the pressing questions of agriculture. "Organic farming is becoming more and more important and the Organic Field Days contribute to this," said Hinz as the paintbrush was swapped for the microphone again. "New approaches to animal husbandry, new varieties and crop rotation in response to the climate crisis: all of this is discussed here between farmers, researchers and politicians in the field, in the barn and in forums," she continued.
 
A spirit of optimism throughout the agricultural sector
In ideal weather, over 11,000 visitors made their way to Frankenhausen to see what organic farming has to offer - including many conventional farmers as well as numerous students and trainees. "The great interest in the Organic Field Days reflects the awakening of many farmers and the innovative power of organic," said Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein, Chairman of the Board of the BÖLW. "Organic farmers and those who want to become organic farmers have gained a wealth of ideas for their daily work here. The success of the Öko-Feldtage and the solutions that organic farming has developed for the major issues of the future will have an impact on politics and agriculture as a whole."

"We are delighted that the second edition of the Organic Field Days has already become an established platform for all farmers to share knowledge between practice and research," summarized project manager Carsten Veller from FiBL Projekte GmbH after the event and announced a surprise for the Field Days in two years' time: "Now that we have organized the Organic Field Days very successfully twice at the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen, a new farm will take over the baton for 2021: the Hessian State Domain Gladbacherhof, the teaching and experimental farm of the University of Giessen."

Technology and traditional knowledge

The number of visitors to the machine demonstrations, new developments and specialist forums was particularly high: This is where modern technology, new and traditional knowledge come together. Many camera- and GPS-guided hoes were the focus of interest. Another highlight of the field days were the numerous exhibitor demo plots and the national variety trials on field beans, wheat, triticale, maize and potatoes. "The most valuable thing about the Organic Field Days was the exchange with colleagues and researchers," says Johannes Eisert, organic young farmer from Gladbacherhof. Particularly exciting for him: the progress in electromobility. He has been thinking about an electrically powered Hoftrac since the Eco Field Days.

The venue - the Frankenhausen domain

The Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen is the teaching and experimental farm of the Department of Organic Agricultural Sciences at the University of Kassel. The organic farm is centrally located just outside Kassel. It has extensive covered building capacities, 250 hectares of arable land, 40 hectares of grassland and modern animal husbandry. The domain is a teaching, research and transfer center for organic farming and sustainable regional development, but is also a commercial enterprise: for example, it markets milk, eggs and meat from livestock as well as carrots and potatoes. The farm was the focal point of the Organic Field Days. Visitors were able to view the farm's land and methods. Modern animal husbandry was also demonstrated using the example of dairy farming and the keeping of laying hens in a mobile barn. A current research project, for example, is looking at substrates for the vicinity of laying hen houses. The aim is to reduce nutrient inputs in the outdoor area and to recover nutrients from the substrate.

Contact:

Markus Zens
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Phone: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
www.uni-kassel.de