Öko-Feldtage 2017 – an all-round successful start!

The premiere of the Öko-Feldtage is a complete success. On June 21 and 22, more than 8,000 visitors experienced the innovative power and diversity of organic farming at the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen. The highlights of the event: machine demonstrations, new developments and prototypes as well as numerous demonstration plots ranging from field beans to sugar beet.

(Frankfurt am Main / Bad Dürkheim, June 23, 2017)

The Hessian Minister of Agriculture, Priska Hinz, opened the meeting place for organic farming. “The large number of exhibitors and visitors proves that the organizers had the right idea with the right concept at the right time,” said the Minister, adding: “Organic farming must also be prepared to participate in developments in science and technology. This is exactly where the new format of the Öko-Feldtage helps. This is where the diverse structures, players and activities in organic farming in Germany can come together and network with each other. Hesse is one of the leaders in organic farming and is therefore proud that the first nationwide Öko-Feldtage are being held here.”

A spirit of optimism

In tropical temperatures, over 8,000 visitors made their way to Frankenhausen to see what organic farming has to offer – including numerous students and trainees. “The Öko-Feldtage reflect the mood of change and innovation in agriculture as a whole,” says Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein, Chairman of the Board of the BÖLW, the patron of the Öko-Feldtage. “Organic farmers and those who want to become organic farmers have received a wealth of ideas for their daily work here. The success of the Öko-Feldtage thus radiates into politics and conventional farming.”

“The concept was a complete success, the atmosphere on both days was great and the concert on Midsummer Night was a hit with young and old alike: the Öko-Feldtage are a new platform where concentrated knowledge is shared between practice and research and the achievements of organic farming are honored. At the same time, we are looking to the future to tackle current challenges such as climate change, organic breeding and animal welfare,” summarized Carsten Veller after the event.

Technology and traditional knowledge

The number of visitors to the machine demonstrations and new developments was particularly high: This is where modern technology and traditional knowledge come together. Eleven camera and GPS-guided hoes were the focus of interest. Another highlight of the field days were the numerous demo plots of the exhibitors and the national variety trials on field beans, wheat, maize and potatoes. “No more dressing for maize and less spraying for wheat,” commented farmer Karsten Meyer from Lower Saxony, who is considering converting his farm. “The Öko-Feldtage have brought me a step closer to this goal”.

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Diverse program from snail robots to practical research

The program of the Öko-Feldtage was as diverse as organic farming itself. In numerous demonstrations, farmers were able to see hoes, harrows, GPS and camera-guided machines in practical use. Examples of innovation showed new developments, such as weed control and slug detection with robots or an environmentally friendly natural gas tractor. In special shows, visitors learned about organic animal husbandry and compost.

Heat of over 30 degrees at the Öko-Feldtage: a practical example of the topic of climate change and what it means for organic farms, which was discussed in the forum between scientists and practitioners. Researchers and consultants presented many other current research results with strong practical relevance in the “Practice meets Research” tent, e.g. on regional organic feed, boar fattening, legumes and nutrient management. In a second specialist forum, Exhibition Management from science and industry presented further topics relating to organic farming, such as biodiversity on organic farms, organic crop protection and innovative technology in the field.

Domäne Frankenhausen: The ideal event location

The exchange between practice and research has long been practiced at the venue, the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen. It is a teaching, research and transfer center for organic farming and sustainable regional development, but also a commercial enterprise: the domain markets milk, eggs and meat from livestock as well as carrots and potatoes, for example. Visitors were able to take a very practical look at hoof care, for example, in a stand developed for this purpose and at a row tiller with GPS steering on the carrot field. Numerous posters on topics such as the integration of nature conservation goals into organic farming, the challenges of animal husbandry and breeding strategies were created by the University of Kassel and most of them will remain on the site afterwards.

Organization & Organizer

The Öko-Feldtage were initiated by the Stiftung Ökologie & Landbau (Ecology & Agriculture Foundation) and organized jointly with FiBL Projekte GmbH. The Hessian Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection supports the Öko-Feldtage financially and is co-organizer together with the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen / University of Kassel. The BÖLW is the patron of the event and Dennree GmbH is the main sponsor.

You can find detailed information here: www.oeko-feldtage.de

Agriculture Minister Priska Hinz opened the first nationwide Öko-Feldtage on June 21, 2017, after which the Minister took a look at the highlights of the event. Also present (from left): Andreas Sandhäger (Director LLH), Jürgen Heß (Scientific Director of Domäne Frankenhausen), Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein (BÖLW Board Member), Reiner Finkeldey (President of the University of Kassel).

Despite the heat, the machine demonstrations were a crowd-puller at the Öko-Feldtage.

Contact person

Hella Hansen
Press
hella.hansen(at)fibl.org
Tel. +49 69 71 37 699-45