The second nationwide Organic Field Days build on the great success of the first. On July 3 and 4, more than 11,000 visitors will experience the innovative power and diversity of organic farming at the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen, the teaching and experimental farm of the University of Kassel. The highlights of the event: machine demonstrations, new developments and prototypes in animal husbandry, plant cultivation and breeding as well as the specialist forums.
Before the Hessian Minister of Agriculture, Priska Hinz, opened the meeting place for organic farming, she painted her vision of 25% organic farming in Hesse in 2025 on a giant canvas together with many other players in the sector. The artwork is as creative and colorful as organic farming itself in order to find answers to the pressing questions of agriculture. “Organic farming is becoming more and more important and the Organic Field Days contribute to this,” said Hinz as the paintbrush was swapped for the microphone again. “New approaches to animal husbandry, new varieties and crop rotation in response to the climate crisis: all of this is discussed here between farmers, researchers and politicians in the field, in the barn and in forums,” she continued.
A spirit of optimism throughout the agricultural sector
In ideal weather, over 11,000 visitors made their way to Frankenhausen to see what organic farming has to offer – including many conventional farmers and numerous students and trainees. “The great interest in the Organic Field Days reflects the awakening of many farmers and the innovative power of organic,” said Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein, Chairman of the Board of the BÖLW. “Organic farmers and those who want to become organic farmers have gained a wealth of ideas for their daily work here. The success of the Organic Field Days and the solutions that organic farming has developed for the major issues of the future are thus radiating into politics and agriculture as a whole.”
“We are delighted that the second edition of the Organic Field Days has already become an established platform for all farmers to share knowledge between practice and research,” summarizes project manager Carsten Veller from FiBL Projekte GmbH after the event and announces a surprise for the field days in two years’ time: “Now that we have organized the Organic Field Days very successfully twice at the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen, a new farm will take over the baton for 2021: the Hessian State Domain Gladbacherhof, the teaching and experimental farm of the University of Giessen.”
Technology and traditional knowledge
The number of visitors to the machine demonstrations, new developments and specialist forums was particularly high: This is where modern technology, new and traditional knowledge come together. Many camera- and GPS-guided hoes were the focus of interest. Another highlight of the field days were the numerous exhibitor demo plots and the national variety trials on field beans, wheat, triticale, maize and potatoes. “The most valuable thing about the Organic Field Days was the exchange with colleagues and researchers,” says Johannes Eisert, organic young farmer from Gladbacherhof. He found the progress in electromobility particularly exciting. He has been thinking about an electrically powered Hoftrac since the Eco Field Days.
More information
Almost 350 companies, associations and organizations presented seeds, varieties, agricultural technology, farm inputs, animal feed, stable construction, advisory services and much more. The program of the Öko-Feldtage presented a mixture of practice and research and a wide range of innovations in organic farming. For example, visitors were able to get an impression of the latest agricultural technology in over 50 machine demonstrations of hoeing, harrowing, raking, GPS and camera-guided machines. Many examples of innovation showed prototypes and new developments such as weeding robots, a solar weeding plane, a plough-mulch system and a plant-mulch machine.
The latest findings on challenges such as the climate crisis, organic breeding and animal welfare were covered in well-attended forums and discussed by scientists and practitioners. On 1,200 demo plots, companies, breeders, consultants and teachers also presented over 70 crops from field beans to sugar beet and inputs for organic farming.
Animal husbandry was another focus of the Organic Field Days: there were almost twice as many exhibitors with an animal focus, a specialist forum on barn talks and two tents where scientists and consultants presented their projects. In addition, the breeders’ conference for German black-and-white lowland cattle with an integrated animal show took place as part of the Eco-Field Days. Jamie was chosen as Miss Domäne Frankenhausen due to her lifetime production: 70,000 liters of milk and 14 calves.
The venue – Domäne Frankenhausen
The Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen is the teaching and experimental farm of the Department of Organic Agricultural Sciences at the University of Kassel. 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 modern animal husbandry. The domain is a teaching, research and transfer center for organic farming and sustainable regional development, but is also a commercial enterprise: for example, it markets milk, eggs and meat from livestock as well as carrots and potatoes. The farm was the focal point of the Organic Field Days. Visitors were able to view the farm’s land and methods. Modern animal husbandry was also demonstrated using the example of dairy farming and the keeping of laying hens in a mobile barn. A current research project, for example, is looking at substrates for the vicinity of laying hen houses. The aim is to reduce nutrient inputs in the outdoor area and recover the nutrients from the substrate.
Organization & organizer
The strong team of partners organized 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 once again supported the event financially in 2019 as part of the Eco Action Plan. The company dennree was a gold sponsor of the Öko-Feldtage 2019. Interested parties can find more information on the website: www.oeko-feldtage.de
The Hessian Minister of Agriculture, Priska Hinz, and many other players from the industry like the jointly painted artwork on the future of organic farming. From left to right: Andreas Sandhäger, Karsten Schmal, Dr. Alexander Gerber, Fenja Petersen, Priska Hinz, Dr. Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein, Carsten Veller, Prof. Gunter Backes, Prof. Arno Ehresmann, Dr. Uli Zerger, Prof. Jürgen Heß, Bettina Gerber. Photo: Marzena Seidel, FiBL