The Organic Field Days on July 3 and 4, 2019 at the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen in Grebenstein near Kassel are an innovation show that shows where organic farming stands and where it is heading. Farmers can find out all about innovations in agricultural technology, plant cultivation, animal husbandry and research.
“The second nationwide Organic Field Days clearly exceeded our expectations,” says a delighted Carsten Veller, project manager at FiBL Projekte GmbH. More than 320 companies (an increase of 14 percent compared to 2017), associations and organizations will be presenting seeds, varieties, farm inputs and feedstuffs, barn construction, advisory services and much more. Around 1,200 demonstration plots show plant diversity from field beans to sugar beet, national variety and fertilizer trials as well as crop rotations for livestock and livestock-free farms.
More animal themes
This time, the cowshed of the educational and experimental farm is located in the middle of the exhibition area. “This has a symbolic character,” says the scientific director of the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen, Prof. Jürgen Heß, adding: “Compared to 2017, animal topics are taking up more space. For example, Landesbetrieb Landwirtschaft Hessen will be presenting the latest news on the keeping of ruminants, poultry and pigs in two information tents and the LLH forum “Stable Talks”. There will also be a breeders’ conference on German black and white lowland cattle, an endangered breed of livestock.”
Versatile program
The rest of the Organic Field Days program is also characterized by a mixture of practice and research. “Over 50 machine demonstrations (an increase of 50 percent), 18 innovations from prototypes and around 70 different crops with many new and adapted varieties show farmers the power of organic farming,” says Veller. Hoes, harrows, rakes, GPS and camera-guided machines provide an impression of modern agricultural technology. From weeding robots and solar-powered weeding planes to tractors with electric drives, examples of innovation demonstrate the direction in which organic farming is heading. Visitors can also find out about the quality and production of green and organic composts and learn more about the soil at the soil profile.
Research meets practice
The BÖLN Forum focuses on the crop production spectrum. Here, farmers can find out about the latest research findings and obtain information on the topic of conversion. Two other forums on politics and the future will deal with challenges such as the climate crisis, organic breeding, animal welfare, pricing policy, solidarity-based farming and much more. A cultural program with various bands and culinary, regional delicacies in organic quality round off the program.
More information
The Eco-Field Days take place at the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen in 34393 Grebenstein near Kassel (Kassel Wilhelmshöhe station). The North Hessian Transport Association (NVV) is setting up a connection with a stop in Frankenhausen especially for the Eco Field Days.
Domain Frankenhausen: The ideal event location
The Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen is the teaching and experimental farm of the Department of Ecological Agricultural Sciences at the University of Kassel/Witzenhausen. It is an ideal venue for events. 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 8 hectares of nature conservation area as well as modern animal husbandry. The domain is a teaching, research and transfer center for organic farming and sustainable regional development, but also a commercial enterprise: for example, it markets milk, eggs and meat from livestock as well as carrots and potatoes. The farm is the focal point of the Organic Field Days. Visitors can view the areas and methods of the educational and experimental farm. Modern animal husbandry is also demonstrated using the example of dairy farming and the keeping of laying hens in a mobile barn. A mature farm structure with a large inner courtyard offers an ideal space to linger.
Organization & organizer
The strong team of partners is organizing the 2019 event in proven cooperation. FiBL Projekte GmbH is the organizer. Co-organizers are the Hessian Ministry of Agriculture and the University of Kassel with the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen and the Department of Organic Agricultural Sciences, the State Agency for Agriculture of Hesse and the Foundation for Ecology and Agriculture. The BÖLW is the patron of the event. The Hessian Ministry of Agriculture is once again supporting the event financially in 2019 as part of the Eco Action Plan. The company dennree is a gold sponsor of the Öko-Feldtage 2019. Interested exhibitors and visitors can find more information on the website: www.oeko-feldtage.de
The second nationwide Organic Field Days will once again take place at the Hessian state domain Frankenhausen in 2019: Around 70 crops and numerous new varieties will be growing on cira 1,200 demo plots.