The crops on the demo plots have had a good growth spurt. “Due to the good weather, we have been working with a lot of helpers over the last few weeks to weed and have also had to irrigate,” says trial technician Samuel Bimmermann, adding: “We also recently sowed maize and catch crops soybeans and potatoes in the best weather.” The construction of the new barn is also progressing. The dairy cows may be able to move into the new barn before the organic field days.
Our specialist program is online and presents a mix of topics on the outstanding issues of organic farming. The six forums focus on plants, the market and politics, future topics (organized by the University of Giessen), animal husbandry (organized by the Hesse State Farm) and organic and green compost (organized by the Hesse Organic Farming and Compost Network, the Federal Compost Quality Association and the BÖLN projects OptiKG and ProBio).
The future of organic farming
On Tuesday, June 28, the focus will be on topics relating to sustainable agriculture and agroforestry as well as 100% organic feed. Wednesday, June 29, will be dominated by the major political panel discussions, such as how to proceed with the Commission for the Future of Agriculture, water conservation through organic farming and carbon farming. In addition, there will be topics such as agriculture at the limit or livestock farming of the future, keyword “brother animals”. On the third day, the focus will be on the next generation. Here, young farmers and researchers will discuss exciting questions: What will a farm look like in 2050? What potential lies in feeding with insects? What food systems will we need in the future?
The challenge of the climate crisis
Every day, visitors can also choose from numerous guided tours on the Green Dairy research project in new barn construction, landrace trials, agroforestry, forage production and more. The machine demonstrations will show new trends and developments in organic farming. The innovations present forward-looking ideas and concepts to optimize organic farming. As part of a climate tour, scientists will explain the challenges of the climate crisis for agriculture and possible solutions at 20 stations.
The crops on the demo plots have a good growth spurt in the fine weather. (Photo: Lukas Weber)
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The dairy cows may be able to move into the new barn before the organic field days. (Photo: Matthias Saathoff, FiBL)
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Scientists from the University of Giessen explain the Green Dairy research project in lectures followed by guided tours. (Photo: Lukas Weber)
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