The Organic Field Days on June 14 and 15 in Ditzingen-Hirschlanden near Stuttgart presented solutions in the field and in the barn for the pressing issues facing agriculture as a whole. More than 12,000 visitors had the opportunity to find out about all the latest innovations in plant cultivation and animal husbandry in a compact format. The focus was on the exchange between young and old, organic and conventional as well as practice and research.
In bright sunshine with a refreshing breeze, more than 12,000 visitors made their way to the Grieshaber & Schmid organic farm. Organic farmers, those who want to become organic farmers, but also many conventional farmers were given a wealth of ideas for their daily work. They were spoiled for choice among 200 program items. Peter Hauk MdL, Minister for Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection, was impressed by the wealth of organic innovations: “At the Organic Field Days 2023 in Ditzingen, we were able to present our ideas and activities in line with our organic farming goal in Baden-Württemberg. As a practical farm, Grieshaber & Schmid provided an ideal platform for this in every respect. I am sure that the Organic Field Days will have a lasting effect in the state and beyond and will provide good impetus for organic farming along the entire value chain and especially in the demand for regional organic products.”
Precisely fitting technology
One of the crowd-pullers at the Organic Field Days were the special areas on resource- and soil-conserving irrigation and hoeing technology in field vegetable cultivation. Jonathan Kern, Bioland arable farming advisor and presenter at the machine demonstration, was impressed by how precisely the in-row hoes and hoeing robots on show worked. “The settings were very precise and the machines hoed away what they were supposed to. The autonomous hacking robots are now ready for practical use and efficient. The lightweights reduce the risk of soil compaction. They are also partly electrically powered and therefore pleasantly quiet,” says Kern.
The second topic of the future at the Eco-Field Days: agrivoltaics. Researchers from the University of Hohenheim, together with the Fraunhofer Institute ISE, presented their work on a demo system and reported on their experiences to date in an agrivoltaic pilot system on Lake Constance and in the five agrivoltaic model regions. Farmer Florian Reyer added from a practitioner’s perspective. His advice: “The system must be adapted to the farm. There are many different types of system that interested parties should consider in detail before making their choice.” This was possible right next door at various suppliers with different types of system.
Many networks used the Organic Field Days to exchange ideas. For example, the young farmers and the women’s network of organic farming met in the FiBL lounge. The young Bioland celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Bioland stand.
Carsten Veller, Project Manager Program & Network, draws a positive conclusion: “The further development of the Organic Field Days and the optimal cooperation with the private farm Grieshaber & Schmid at the new location led to this unique offer of research and practice. In our view, it is a flagship project in Baden-Württemberg.”
Comments on the Eco Field Days
Matthias Saathoff, Project Manager – Infrastructure & Procurement: “We had highly satisfied guests, a great atmosphere and everything worked wonderfully, from set-up to dismantling. The trades interlocked very well, from A for waste management to Z for tent construction. We are very satisfied.”
Paulina Gundlach, Project Manager Communication & Human Resources: “The event was a great team effort and only possible thanks to excellent cooperation with the Grieshaber & Schmid families, the MLR and many other institutions in the organic sector. I was most impressed by the mix of small and large exhibitors, organic and conventional, young and old.”
Dr. Robert Hermanowski, Managing Director of FiBL Projekte GmbH: “The Organic Field Days had a very important function in times that are not easy for organic farming. 350 exhibitors and 12,000 visitors experienced that they are on the right track with organic farming, even if the upward trend is not always steep.”
Tina Andres, Chairwoman of the BÖLW Board: “The future of organic farming and agriculture as a whole needs encounters, which take place at the Organic Field Days. It is always a source of inspiration and joy to see so many people who are shaping organic farming, who are innovative and forward-thinking. We need every idea. The Organic Field Days are a think tank in our sector.”
Mirjam Grieshaber, one of four farm managers at the Grieshaber & Schmid organic farm: “Of course there were always ups and downs during the long preparations for the Organic Field Days. All in all, however, we took a lot away from these almost two years: as people and as a business. We made a lot of contacts and got to know very interesting people. The FiBL team stood behind us at all times and took us on board in all decisions. That was great.”
Florian Löckle, Marketing Zürn Harvesting GmbH & Co. KG, exhibitor: “We brought our new eco-conventional solutions to the Öko-Feldtage. We had an excellent platform here to showcase these new techniques in mechanical weed control. We hit our target group 100 percent at this trade fair and had good visitor contacts, both in terms of quality and quantity.”
Johann Tappeiner, Chairman of Bioland e.V.: “The Organic Field Days have shown that the organic movement is alive and kicking: The organic movement is alive, it is full of zest for action and it continues to be a major driver of innovation for the entire agricultural sector. A nice contrast to the occasional prophecies of doom that attest to a deep crisis in the sector. From Bioland’s point of view, we are delighted about the great interest in our presentations and guided tours, many good discussions and especially about two great winning farms in the national organic farming competition. Meanwhile, the next Organic Field Days on an Bioland farm are already on the horizon: in 2025 they will take place at the Bioland Canitz water estate in Leipzig-Thallwitz.
Marcus Wewer, Head of Quality Management Organic Own Brands REWE, Gold Sponsor: “This is the second time we have attended and we are very satisfied with the new location in Baden-Württemberg and the response to our activities. For example, we presented our new project “Die Wegbereiter” here, with which we want to motivate our conventional farmers to convert. We also invite our employees within the Group to the organic field days to experience organic farming live: from trainees to management to purchasing. They now have completely new images of organic farming in their heads.”
Dr. Marlen Wienert, member of the BayWa Board of Management: “For us as a gold sponsor, the Organic Field Days are a great platform for exchanging innovations – and not just for organic farming. Many farmers from the conventional sector also came to the BayWa stand to find out about our solutions for sustainable agriculture. Organic farming can certainly serve as a role model for making agriculture more ecological overall. Conversely, we need innovations to make organic farming even more productive. As a partner to agriculture, we see ourselves as a bridge builder in order to achieve our common goal of ensuring global food security in the best possible way.”
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heß, Chairman of the Board of FiBL Germany: “The first Organic Field Days six years ago were a cold start by FiBL, which recognized an important need with this event. The concept is now long out of its infancy. These fourth Organic Field Days have shown that such a large-scale event can also be organized on a private farm. Thanks to the FiBL staff, who once again did a great job and inspired a large audience for more organic farming.”
Anke Müller, AgroSolar Europe, exhibitor: “The very high level of interest shown by organic farmers in the topic of agri-PV surprised and delighted us. We sense that the industry is open to technology without neglecting critical questions. That’s why the focus on agri-PV at this year’s Öko-Feldtage was perfectly placed.”
Karl Wacker, DSV, Consultant Regional Office Deckenpfronn, exhibitor: “The response from visitors was very good, the proportion of conventional farmers was relatively high. Many farmers were concerned about yields and their feed. Drought-resistant varieties, catch crops to improve soil structure and crop rotations adapted to the drought were therefore frequent topics in the numerous discussions.”