From June 28 to 30, 2022, the Organic Field Days will finally take place live again – at the Hessian State Domain Gladbacherhof in Villmar-Aumenau. Visitors can find out all about innovations in agricultural technology, plant cultivation, animal husbandry and research at the meeting place for organic farming.
Almost 330 companies, associations and organizations are coming to Aumenau. They present seeds, agricultural technology, farm inputs, feed, stable construction, advisory services and much more. “We are overwhelmed by the great interest in the Organic Field Days and are proud to present all the latest news about organic farming on our farm,” says Professor Andreas Gattinger, scientific director of the teaching and experimental farm at the University of Giessen. The program addresses burning issues in agriculture: Climate protection, greater animal welfare, digitalization, organic breeding and pricing policy. High-ranking politicians will take part in many panel discussions on topics such as carbon farming, future livestock farming, fair prices and agroforestry. “We are delighted that we will be able to discuss the German government’s new target – 30% organic farming by 2030 – and concepts for implementing this target with federal and state ministers at the Organic Field Days,” says Gattinger.
Award ceremony with Cem Özdemir
For the first time, the award ceremony for the Federal Organic Farming Competition will take place as part of the Öko-Feldtage (June 28 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm). Federal Minister Cem Özdemir will personally present the award winners with their awards and find out about the latest developments in organic farming at the Öko-Feldtage. The Hessian Minister of Agriculture, Priska Hinz, will open the event, which is funded as part of the Hesse Organic Action Plan.
Highlights of the hands-on Organic Field Days include research projects from the University of Giessen. In the new research barn, sophisticated digital technology is used to record the impact of the intensity of organic dairy cattle feeding on the environment and the carbon footprint of the products produced. As part of the climate tour, scientists explain the aspects of carbon storage, soil erosion and other climate-relevant benefits of these systems using the agroforestry systems that have been created. Visitors can also get an impression of the latest technology in the field of hoeing, mowing and swathing technology in machine demonstrations. Many innovations will also be on display: From selectively programmable weed robots and solar-powered tractors to the automated collection of potato beetles. Visitors can view numerous crops and national variety trials on 1,500 demo plots.
Organic Field Days 2023 in Baden-Württemberg
Preparations for the Organic Field Days 2023 at the Grieshaber & Schmid organic farm in Ditzingen / Baden-Württemberg are already underway. Registrations with demonstration plots are now possible until July 15, 2022.
More information
We would like to make the Eco-Field Days as sustainable as possible and would therefore be delighted if many visitors could contribute to this by traveling by public transport. Line 45 of the Hessische Landesbahn will take visitors to Aumenau station. From there, it is only 800 meters on foot to the event site.
Diverse program
The program of the Organic Field Days will showcase new developments in organic crop production and animal husbandry in a mixture of practice and research. Visitors can see 16 mainly camera-controlled hoeing machines as well as innovations in the fields of cupping and forage harvesting in practical use. 20 examples of innovations will show prototypes and new developments. Climate is a key topic at the Eco-Field Days 2022. For example, employees from the University of Giessen will be demonstrating the benefits of agroforestry areas for climate protection and climate adaptation.
The latest findings on challenges such as organic breeding, carbon farming and animal welfare will be addressed and discussed in forums. Companies, breeders and consultants will also be presenting more than 120 crops and 500 varieties on numerous demo plots. Exhibitors on the topic of animal husbandry and the LLH Stable Talks forum will present themselves in the vicinity of the new research barn. Topics include intensity levels in organic milk production, 100% organic feed, livestock farming of the future and the coexistence of wolves and grazing animals. Every day, visitors can also choose from numerous guided tours on the construction of new stables, landrace trials, agroforestry, organic compost and fodder production.
Organization & organizers
The strong team of partners is organizing the 2022 event in largely proven cooperation. FiBL Projekte GmbH organizes the Organic Field Days. Co-organizers are the Hessian Ministry of Agriculture and the Justus Liebig University Giessen with the Hessian State Domain Gladbacherhof as well as the Hessian State Farm and the Foundation for Ecology and Agriculture. The BÖLW is the patron of the event. The Hessian Ministry of Agriculture will once again support the event financially in 2022 as part of the Eco Action Plan. REWE Group is a gold sponsor of the Organic Field Days 2022. “We want to support organic farming and strengthen its development,” says Marcus Wewer, Head of Quality Management Organic Own Brands at REWE Group, adding: “We are presenting ourselves in a large tent and want to engage in direct dialogue with organic farmers.”
The third nationwide Eco-Field Days take place at the Hessian state domain Gladbacherhof in Villmar-Aumenau. Photo: Lukas Weber
A new research barn with fully automated technology is currently under construction and will be presented to visitors to the Eco-Field Days, including the Green Dairy research project. Photo: Lukas Weber
The exhibitors’ demo plots and the University of Giessen’s trial plots show 120 crops and more than 500 varieties. Photo: Lukas Weber