Just under two months before the Öko-Feldtage in Baden-Württemberg on June 14 and 15, 2023, the date for the Öko-Feldtage 2025 has already been set. Saxony’s Minister of Agriculture Wolfram Günther handed over a funding decision for 300,000 euros to FiBL Projekte GmbH on April 17 in Thallwitz for the organization of the Öko-Feldtage 2025 at Wassergut Canitz GmbH. Germany’s largest specialist and presence platform for organic farming will take place in Saxony for the first time from June 18 to 19, 2025.
In keeping with the Canitz water estate, where the Saxon Organic Field Days are being held, the main theme for 2025 is groundwater protection. After all, sustainable organic farming and groundwater protection go hand in hand.
“Organic farming in Saxony continued to grow last year, both in terms of the number of farms and the amount of organically farmed land. We will continue to support this growth. I am therefore particularly pleased that the 2025 Organic Field Days in Saxony will be held on the Canitz water estate near Leipzig,” said Wolfram Günther, Saxony’s Minister of Agriculture, at the handover ceremony, adding: “The Organic Field Days are a meeting place for organic farming practitioners and anyone thinking about converting to organic farming. This is where innovative methods, technologies and services are presented and where knowledge and experience are shared. This is valuable for the development of the sector! I can already say: A warm welcome to Saxony in 2025.”
Dr. Bernhard Wagner, Head of Wassergut Canitz GmbH, explains: “With the Eco-Field Days 2025 at Wassergut Canitz, we want to take the opportunity to present challenges and solutions to the topic of water conservation in agriculture to a broad specialist audience. It has always been particularly important to us to involve the entire agricultural sector in order to get them excited about water-conserving agriculture.”
At the end of the event, guests of honor put together a large sign for the Eco-Field Days 2025 from many individual parts. It symbolizes that many institutions are working together to make this major event in Saxony a success. The sign will now stand as an advertising banner on the S11 main road leading to the Canitz water estate until the event. These measures are co-financed by tax revenue on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon state parliament.
The current Organic Field Days 2023 will take place in just under two months: on June 14 and 15, 2023 at the Grieshaber & Schmid organic farm in Ditzingen-Hirschlanden near Stuttgart. More information at www.oeko-feldtage.de
Background
The nationwide Organic Field Days are a two-day meeting place for all organic farmers and all farmers who want to convert or are looking for new methods for environmentally friendly agriculture. The event offers players from the entire sector an ideal platform to discuss current topics with farmers and representatives from politics and business. The innovation show shows where organic farming stands and where it is heading.
The program of the Organic Field Days offers a mixture of practice and research in organic crop production and animal husbandry. In demonstrations, visitors can see machines in practical use. Examples of innovations will show prototypes and new developments.
The latest findings on challenges such as groundwater protection, animal welfare and nutrient management will be covered in forums and discussed by scientists and practitioners. Numerous demo plots will showcase new cereal and legume varieties and catch crops for organic farming. Companies and associations will present their products and advisory services. A cultural program and culinary, regional delicacies in organic quality round off the program. The organizer of the Organic Field Days is FiBL Projekte GmbH.
Wassergut Canitz GmbH : An ideal event location
Wassergut Canitz GmbH has been an organic farm since 1992 and works according to the guidelines of the Bioland Association. The GmbH was founded in 1994 as a subsidiary of Leipziger Wasserwerke. The most important goal of the company is to protect the drinking water resources in the catchment area of the waterworks in Canitz, Thallwitz and Naunhof. The focus is on environmental protection and soil fertility. Organic plant and animal products are produced on a total area of 800 hectares. This is done without the addition of synthetic chemical fertilizers. This ensures that no impurities get into the drinking water.
And this principle of drinking water protection is bearing fruit. The targeted, environmentally friendly management of particularly sensitive areas that are essential for the waterworks’ wells has led to a significant reduction in nitrate levels in the groundwater.
The guests of honor in front of the sign, from right to left: Thomas Pöge – Mayor of the municipality of Thallwitz; Dr. Bernhard Wagner – Managing Director of Wassergut Canitz GmbH; Wolfram Günther – Minister of State for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture of Saxony; Gisela Reetz – State Secretary for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture of Saxony; Dr. Ulrich Meyer – Technical Managing Director of Leipziger Wasserwerke; Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heß – Chairman of the Board of FiBL Germany; Alexandra Feldmann – Managing Director of agra Ulrich Meyer – Technical Managing Director of Leipziger Wasserwerke; Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heß – Chairman of the Board FiBL Germany; Alexandra Feldmann – Managing Director agra Veranstaltungs GmbH; Carsten Veller – Project Manager Öko-Feldtage Program & Network, FiBL Projekte GmbH; Dr. Uli Zerger – Managing Director of Stiftung Ökologie und Landbau. Photo: EHH Photography